Banana Bread Pancakes

Growing up, I was involved in lots of after-school activities, dance, sports, etc. Many a meal was eaten in the car on the way to whatever class or practice or game I was going to next. Sure, there was plenty of down-time for foraging new trails in the woods behind our house, racing my sister and the neighbor kids down our dirt road to see who could hit the most puddles, and late night games of kick-the-can. If there was fun and adventure to be had, I was there to have it.

But never at the sacrifice of a good breakfast.

All throughout my school years, my mom woke up extra early to cook us breakfast. Pancakes were always my first request. I think this started when I began revolting against cereal. You see, my family is a waste-not, finish your plate kind of family (translation: many long nights at the dinner table). When my dad established the "finish the milk in your cereal bowl" rule (to which he now denies any responsibility), my strong anti-cereal stance began. (Cereal-flavored milk.. GROSS!) And it continues still to this day. I dont like cereal. Period. (Homemade granola is a different story).

Luckily, my mom makes a serious pancake... full of love, and often full of blueberries or chocolate chips... or both! And occasionally shaped into hearts or Micky Mouse faces. Every morning, during the mad rush to make it to the bus stop (which was a good half mile away, and often resulted in another half-mile walk back home after missing the bus.... hmm, maybe these early morning exercises are where my power hour originated), my mom would have a warm breakfast ready for me. Sometimes breakfast was the only "quality" time of the day, and I never took it for granted.

As an adult, I didn't really see the nutritional value of a pancake and often opted for eggs with veggies instead. Even slathered with peanut butter and maple syrup (my favorite combo for pancake toppings), the glutenous sogginess of pancakes just didn't appeal to me anymore. 

Until today. 

Today I made banana bread pancakes that were so good that I didn't hesitate to eat the leftovers- cold and without any toppings. Imagine banana bread in pancake form. Imagine banana bread in pancake form and packed full of mono-saturated (health-promoting) fats, magnesium, antioxidants, vitamin E, and potassium (1). These pancakes are some of the best pancakes I've ever had (sorry mom), even compared to gluten-pancakes!

Step aside Bisquick, there's a new flour in town. 

Topped with a blueberry almond-butter spread

Banana Bread Pancakes
Grain-Free * Gluten-Free * Dairy-Free

Inspired by Roost

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 overripe bananas (mine were frozen, and thawed slightly)
• 2 eggs
• ghee for greasing the pan (or coconut oil, butter, or other oil)

Combine all ingredients in blender; putting the eggs and bananas in first makes for easier blending. Heat oil or butter in a pan. Pour batter into 4-inch rounds, using the back of a spoon to help spread out the batter. I found using a 1/4 measuring cup for scooping out the batter was helpful. Cook and flip until each side is a golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on medium heat). Drizzle with fruit, nut-butter, maple syrup, or your favorite topping! 

Michigan maple syrup is the best!

Pancakes are back!

*I used a Vita-Mix blender, if you are having problems combining the ingredients in your blender, a food processor might work. If you try it that way, let me know how it goes!

 

What was your favorite breakfast as a kid? Have you found a way to make it healthier?

WIAW- Back On Track

Crowd gathering in Marquette, MI to see the fireworks over Lake Superior. Photo courtesy of PhotoYoop.

Hope you all had a great Independence or Canada Day weekend! Ours was spent full of sunshine, beach time, spontaneous BBQs with friends, visiting on front porches, and mountain biking. It turned out to be the best weekend of the summer, so far! 

This long holiday weekend was on the heels of a week long camping trip with my family on Lake Michigan. Needless to say, I've been enjoying my summer break from work. As the celebrations continued, I noticed more and more that my eating habits had changed.... more pizza, more bread, cheese, desserts, and drinks. I'm not an all-or-nothing kind of person and occasionally make allowances for "unhealthy" food choices, but when they all started adding up I realized that I wasn't feeling the energy, vibrancy, and overall sense of well-being that I have when I'm eating the way my body wants me to. Talking to my husband about this the other day, I realized that this feeling- sluggish, upset guts, itchy skin- was NORMAL to me in college. I didn't know then how dramatically different my life could be with a healthy diet. When you're feeling the effects of healthy eating, its easy to forget what it was like before. These last couple weeks have been a wonderful reminder of why I nourish my body with food that makes my cells happy and a cue to get back on track.

So, this week I'm focusing on getting back on track. I even convinced a couple friends to try it for a while too. I've heard this diet called the Paleo diet, or the Innate diet.... but in reality, its not a "diet" at all. Its about eating food that your body was intended to eat, and not eating food that it wasn't intended to eat. Its about lots of veggies, fruit, some sustainably raised meat, some nuts, some seeds. Its not about processed foods, dairy, grains, or refined sugar. Its about feeling amazing, a life of vibrancy, energy, clear skin, and a dramatically improved sense of well-being. Try it for a week or two, see what happens! If you try it, let me know how it goes for you!

That leads me to this week's What I Ate Wednesday, hosted by Jenn at Peas and Crayons.

There was tea, and a beautiful reminder to love myself today...

Breakfast was a veggie and egg scramble: greens from our CSA, broccoli from our CSA, bell peppers, artichokes, and homemade pesto, with a side of cantaloupe.  

  

We try to eat outside as much as possible in the summer. Everything tastes better in the sunshine!

Lunch was homemade chicken salad (grilled chicken, organic mayo, almond slices, red onion, celery, lots of fresh dill, celery seed, salt, and pepper) on a bed of fresh greens. 

A little later I had a snack: an apple dipped in almond butter with cinnamon and vanilla.

(Do you see my tomato plants back there?! My cilantro bolted, but I think I'm so-far-so-good on the tomatoes. Still keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of the veggies!

We still had quite a lot of veggies left from our CSA and a few of them looked liked they had a short shelf life. I threw everything into a pan and made Thai red curry, served over quinoa. 

 Braising greens, broccoli, bok choy, and hemp seeds in a Thai red curry broth with quinoa.

What are you doing to get back on track after the long weekend?

Why Are We So Sick?

As a country, the United States is number 1 in terms of health care spending per capita, yet we are near the bottom of the list for health outcomes. In other words, we are paying more and more money and getting less and less healthy. This generation of kids is the FIRST GENERATION ever that is not expected to live longer than their parents. The statistics are equal parts devastating, infuriating, and terrifying. And it doesn't need to be that way, check out this short clip on why we are so sick.

 

Agree? Disagree? Thoughts?

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

My husband loves him some pasta salad. For me, it always reminded me of group picnics. You know the kind... where there's potato salad with too much mayonnaise and large flimsy aluminum containers piled with cold fried chicken, and some jello mold with fruit frozen in space? Basically, pasta salad has always had a bad rep based on who it has associated itself with. Sorry pasta salad... its really nothing personal. I do however, love love love greek salad. And greek pizza. Basically, anything with a lot of garlic and kalamata olives. Mediterranean pasta salad? I think we might have a pasta salad redemption! (If you listen closely, you can hear my husband cheering. He's been waiting for this moment for nearly 10 years). 

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

8 ounces gluten-free pasta

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced

1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 cup garbanzo beans

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 small head broccoli, chopped

(Greek? I dont know, but I like the crunch)

1 cup loosely packed spinach

3-4 basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Saute garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, stir often.
You may want to tilt the pan to the oil and garlic pool together.
Combine ingredients.
Mix together garlic-infused oil and vinegar,
pour over pasta salad. 

Hoping you are all having a beautiful Monday-

full of love, gratitude, and peace.  

You deserve it!

Holy Wah: Cilantro Lime Burritos

Remember how I was all "create your own happiness" and "be good to yourself"? Yeah, nothing like being challenged with a taste of my own medicine. Holy wah, my life just got busy. Work has been crazy cats lately (I just made up the phrase crazy cats, I'm probably never going to use it again). Its much easier to stay positive, eat healthy, and be kind to myself when my life is in balance. When its crazy cats (seriously, last time) I'm a pizza craving lunatic. Stressful life = stressful eating. I mean, who really craves a salad when they're stressed out? Broccoli? No. Try pizza. For me, its pizza every time (am I the only one.....?). Instead, my body (and sanity) needs me to create balance. Now more than ever. (Before you get excited, I'm not going to be posting a pizza recipe today. I know, total let down.)

Today's game plan: Do things that make me happy and support de-stressing. Pronto!

Smile. At strangers. At myself. In the mirror. It doesn't matter as long as your smiling. 


Dance. Thank you Pandora for the 80's channel. Nothing really highlights my dance moves quite like Cindy Lauper. (and can you really NOT smile while dancing to 80's music? These two go hand in hand). 


Breathe. I recently got into yoga and couldn't be more happy about my new found love. "Breathing in, I know that I'm alive. Breathing out, I smile to my aliveness" -Thich Naht Hahn

This plan got me through the day, in one piece, without ANY flailing at all! It was enough to break my pizza craving and motivate me to cook. Dont forget, we gotta keep the cells happy! My cells love grain-free, dairy-free burritos (tacos?) with cilantro lime cream sauce. (and they hate pizza... darn them!)

 

With hot sauce

 Without hot sauce

To make the tortillas, I used this recipe. I have had LOTS of trial and error making grain-free tortillas, and this one is by far (by FAR!) the best. It is a little time consuming, so normally I make it up ahead of time. I always have leftovers too, and they're good for sandwich wraps, or basically anything that you would use a regular tortilla for.  

Burraco Filling:

(my husband and I couldn't agree on whether these were burritos or tacos)  

1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef

1/4 zucchini, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

2 stalks of collard greens, diced (or any leafy green, thats just what I had)

5 mushrooms, diced

Taco Seasoning (makes enough for 1lb of meat):

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 teas garlic powder

1/4 teas onion powder

1/4 teas crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teas oregano

1/2 teas paprika

1 1/2 teas cumin

salt and pepper

Saute vegetables until soft, remove from pan and place in bowl for later. Brown ground beef until almost cooked. Add 1/2 of the taco seasoning and the veggies back to the pan. Put just enough water to cover the veggie/meat and stir in seasoning. Cook down until water is mostly gone. Stuff the tortilla shells with meat/veg mixture and cover in cilantro-lime cream sauce. 

Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup cashews (soaked for 4+ hours)

1 cup loosely packed cilantro

2 teas lime juice

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp water

1/4 teas cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

Combine in blender or food processor and blend until creamy. Top your burrito with anything that makes your heart happy! Enjoy!

What gets you through a stressful day? (other than pizza) 

This recipe was included in Real Food Weekly and Seasonal Sunday

Salmon Chowder and Happiness

I really love soup. I could eat soup everyday and never get sick of it. I could have an entire blog just about soup (which might happen if I keep this up). And what soup is better than creamy chowder? (crickets, crickets.)

It's officially May. The beginning of a new month is always a good reminder for me to evaluate my life, to cultivate the areas that I love and want to keep growing, and to weed out the areas that I don't love. I've made it a point to choose happiness over any other emotion. This is my life, and I intend to live it exactly how I want to. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be than happy.  As you may have read, it didn't always used to be this way. I didn't wake up one day and have abundant happiness, or even realize that I had the power to create it. To be honest, I still don't. But I do realize that my emotions are my own responsibility. As much as I'd like to, I can not blame my husband for the fact that my dog has eaten more than 5 pairs of shoes and countless other items (all of mine, none of his) in the past month. And I can barely blame my dog because.... well, he's a dog. Nope, I alone am in charge of my crazy, exciting, unpredictable life. And I love it. Chewed up shoes and all. (If you could see the love-bug that is my fur-child, you'd get over all the chewed up footwear too.... eventually)

I have decided to be happy because it is good for my health. ~ Voltaire

source

I like to think of thoughts as seeds. There they are, planted in the ground, but I get to decide which ones get sunlight, water, and nutrients. I get to decide which ones get to live and which ones must die (evil laugh). The ones that make me happy will be bestowed the privilege of life. The rest? They gotta go. Eventually, the weeds get pulled. Basically, the thoughts that we give energy to are the ones that get more power. So focus on the things that make you happy, and don't focus on the things that don't make you happy. Easier said than done? Yes. But the more I practice this, the easier it becomes. The less amount of time I spend flailed on my bed before I pull myself back together and get on with my happy life. When I'm happy, I cook. And happy cooking results in delicious chowder. 

This past weekend was my sister-in-law's graduation from nursing school (go you!). We went out to dinner to celebrate. My husband had a bowl of creamy whitefish chowder with his meal. This is the U.P. We are the whitefish mecca of the great lakes. Whitefish is what we DO. I had a bite, and it was g-o-o-d. Now, I wasn't about to eat a whole bowl of cream (dairy, wheat, and an assortment of other food that is generally not intended for consumption {sugar} result in major skin issues for me... more on that in a later post), but it left me feening for fish chowder. So I made up my own (thank you very much). The fact that I had salmon in my kitchen and wasn't up for a trip back to the Co-op resulted in salmon chowder. Feel free to substitute whitefish (especially if its fresh caught from Lake Superior). 

Creamy Salmon Chowder 

1 can wild salmon

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3-4 small red potatoes, chopped 

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill 

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/3 teaspoon arrowroot

4 cups broth

salt and pepper

In large pot, saute shallots and garlic. Add potatoes, carrots, celery and saute for about 5 more minutes. Add 3 cups of the broth, salmon, dill, and salt/pepper. In your blender, combine arrowroot, 1 cup of broth, and cashews. Blend until smooth. Add to pot and stir to combine. Add the peas and continue cooking until veggies are soft. Eat!

**A word on salmon**

I really can't urge you enough to only eat wild salmon. Wild salmon is food. Farm raised salmon is not food. Farm raised salmon is toxic to both your body and the environment. I was about to go into a tirade about farmed versus wild until I found this article. Its basically everything that I think is important on this issue, so please take a look. 

What makes you happy? 

This recipe is included in Seasonal Sunday and Real Food Weekly

  

 

Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad ( and a self disclosure)

Cilantro Lime Quinoa Salad

RIP Nike Free +

Before I get to the eats, I have a self disclosure: I used to be am occasionally an emotionally reactive person. I like to think I'm not, but then something happens and it smacks me in the face. Case in point: I came home the other day and my dog had demolished my running shoes (I swear, he's not usually this destructive... hopefully he's just going through a phase). This has particularly upsetting consequences for two reasons: I made myself a deal to run or workout on a regular basis, and these MUCH loved shoes are discontinued. I can't just buy another pair. Emotional reactivity: flailing myself in a heap of despair onto my bed (I'm pretty sure this is not socially acceptable behavior for an adult?).

I'm not proud of this moment, okay. Don't judge. 

This moment was not my first moment of realization. I've been aware of this flaw side of myself for quite some time. Years, even. I've realized all along that I'm an emotional person (a side of myself that I like very much, by the way), but these flailing moments on the bed were not my idea of a good time. When my niece was going through the "terrible twos" more than one person lovingly drew similarities about our emotional capacities. Ha, ha, very funny, guys (note: use of sarcasm here).  I like to think we're both just passionate, wear-my-heart-on-my-sleeve, kind of people. The truth is: I have moments where I BECOME my emotions. To the great relief of my husband, I have begun to cultivate my consciousness over the years and these moments are becoming less and less.

Emotions are simply experiences. They come. They go. I get to decide which ones I invite to stick around a little longer. But none of them define who I am. (Hear that anger, frustration, and pissed off... you don't own me!) If I'm not careful, if I let myself BECOME my emotions, I run the risk of giving up control of my inner dialogue. My self talk. The way I communicate with myself. MY SENSE OF CONTROL OVER WHO I AM. Not cool. Not gonna happen. Every challenging experience is an opportunity to grow. So thank you to my dog for giving me the opportunity to practice living consciously. Yeah, thanks a lot!

Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny.
- Mahatma Gandhi

 A while back I started using Positive Affirmations. At first I did it only when I was tempted to have a flailing moment. This worked- many flails were adverted, yes- but it was still a reaction to my emotions. I was only consciously living when things were going in the direction I didn't want them to, rather than being proactive about taking myself toward the direction I did want to go. Rather than wait until I was already feeling overwhelmed, I've started acknowledging my awesomeness on a regular basis. Avoiding versus seeking. Moving away from something I don't want is not the same as moving toward something I do want. And I want a life of peace, happiness, and fun (which is not the same as a life without anger, frustration, and annoyance... which is completely unrealistic anyway)! I deserve it. You deserve it. Let's make it happen.

 Some positive affirmation examples

I can do anything I want to do!

I prosper wherever I turn and I know that I deserve prosperity of all kinds!

I know whatever I need to know for my well-being, success, joy, and fulfillment!

I am my own unique self - special, creative and wonderful!

Everyday I am healing!

I love to laugh and enjoy life!

All my relationships are loving and harmonious!

I see abundance and opportunity at every turn!

I take full responsibility for me!

I am a good saver of money!

I am successful at everything I do!

I am serene, peaceful, and without stress!

I choose love, joy and freedom, open my heart and allow wonderful things to flow into my life!

I promise to be myself

To trust that all will be naturally right

To know that my purpose brings love to those I touch

To dedicate myself to live in bliss

To give time to self improvement & learning

To patiently realize my life's mission

To recognize value in other people and ideas

To give time to learn

To speak potential health, and happiness to everyone I meet!

And now that we're all feeling warm and fuzzy, let's talk about food. 

My cilantro and quinoa kick continues... so bare with me. I bought another bunch of cilantro! I just can't help myself, it smells too good to pass it by. With the aromatic deliciousness wafting from my fridge, I needed to come up a recipe that would let my beloved shine in all its smell-good glory. I started out by making a cilantro dressing without any real idea of what I was going to do with it. After a peek into the fridge (which was mostly empty) my options were limited. A few veggies and a whole bunch of quinoa led to a very obvious solution: Cilantro Lime and Quinoa Salad. 

Dressing:

• 5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed), stems removed
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (feel free to substitute any other vinegar if you don't have white wine)
• 4 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• dash of hot sauce (I highly recommend srirarcha). Adjust amount depending on how spicy you like it. 
• pinch salt and pepper

Salad:

• 3/4 dry quinoa, cooked (we'll talk more about cooking quinoa in a minute)
• 1-2 celery, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup beans

Cook your quinoa (easy peasy: put 1.5 C water and 3/4 C quinoa in pot. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed) and let cool. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the dressing into a food processor. Pulse until well blended. Mix other salad ingredients with cooled quinoa and toss in cilantro lime dressing.

I wanted to use black beans, but since my husband is somewhat of a garbanzo bean enthusiast (he eats them straight out of the can. I know, weird), I got talked into using them. Unless you have a minor love affair with garbanzos (or live with someone who does), I'd go with black beans. Just sayin...


And, as with just about everything else I eat... feel free to put a little more hot sauce on the finished product. :)

What's your go-to positive affirmation?

This recipe was included in Gluten Free Wednesday and Real Food Weekly

Darkness Does Not Exist

Commonly forgotten fact: humans are part of the animal kingdom. True fact. Does that bring you back to second grade science? Why is it, then, that we seem to believe that we are somehow impervious to the laws of nature? 

"Don't give that donut to the dog, its bad for him." 

Really? That donut is bad for you (yeah, I know, big bummer, especially the Krispy Kreme ones). Here's the deal. We all have about 100 trillion cells in our bodies. Wonderful, brilliant cells. Because of them, our bodies are self-healing and self-regulating (so lets start showing our cells some gratitude!). Our cells are innately equipped, from the beginning of life, for health. We are MEANT to be healthy. The only reason our cells would seemingly malfunction would be due to a physical, emotional, chemical, or spiritual stressor. It's our choices and our environment that determines whether or not our cells are getting what they need. They do the best they can with what we give them. They're happiest when they get EVERYTHING that they need and NOTHING that they don't. 

 

Health is when our cells are consistently happy. 

Sickness is when our cells are consistently unhappy. 

But sickness does not exist. 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. Sickness does not exist? I can hear your doubts from here. Let me explain….

Darkness does not exist. 

It is simply a lack of light. It does not exist as an independent entity with any physical properties at all. Lets say you were in a well lit room. If you opened the door to the dark hallway outside, what do you suppose would happen? Would the darkness come rushing in, or would the light brighten the hallway? Okay, silly question. Obviously, the light brightens the hallway- because it exists. Darkness is like sickness. Sickness is simply a lack of health. It does not exist as an independent entity, it is just a LACK of something else. If you wanted to make a dark room brighter, could you look for darkness and remove it? No, of course not… another silly question! But if you wanted to make a sick person healthier, could you look for sickness and remove it? No. You can’t remove something that doesn’t exist. Instead, you have to open the door and let the light remove the darkness. You have to cultivate wellness and let the health remove the sickness.

You have to make the cells happy!

Although we may think we're in charge, the show is really all about our cells. There's roughly 100 trillion of them and only one of me, so personally I do my best to make sure they don't gang up on me. Cell function determines whether we'll be healthy or sick. And they're not really willing to compromise. If our cells are stressed out- either from deficiencies (not getting enough of what they need) or toxicity (getting too much of what they DON'T need)- they're going to let us know it. Make sure you are listening!

The thing about cells is that they don't make mistakes. Ever. They come prepared with something called innate intelligence. Basically this means that they have a good reason for everything that they do.

The times when we start having symptoms are the times that our cells are telling us that enough is enough. Either we're making decisions that are preventing them from getting the things that they need, or that are creating toxicity for them. Symptoms do not represent a mistake on the part of our cells (they don't make mistakes, remember), rather its a scream for help... something is wrong. And our cells will not go down without a fight. When our cells are under stress (deficiency, toxicity, or both), they do their best to adapt. Illness is our body's best way of adapting to an unhealthy environment, but their adaption is a perfectly reasonable response to their stressful situation. In order to be happy, cells must have everything they need and nothing they don't.... remember how I said they weren't really willing to compromise? See, they wont be happy with just SOME of what they need. No, these little guys want the whole sha-bang. Its impossible to be 100% healthy by giving our cells only SOME of what they need, or by eliminating only SOME toxins. We can't expect to be healthy if we are poisoning ourselves, even just a little.

So what do our cells need? They need us to Eat Well, Move Well, and Think Well. Consistently. Hence, my power hour (so far so good, by the way!!). Hence, Cultivating Consciousness. It's not possible to fully reach our potential if our cells are not expressing health. If our cells are not getting what they need, than we can not be what we are capable of being. The ability to be healthy, happy, and wildly amazing is already in us. Its in our innate intelligence. Its in our cells.

What do you do to make your cells happy?