A New Way of Baking: The Paleo Baking Experience

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a total sweet tooth! So when trying to eat clean and keep my diet healthy, I've always struggled with my cravings for sweets! Last year I joined Crossfit and fell in love with the box (what we call the gym), the community there, and the WODs! The people there are like a family. They inspired me to live a healthier lifestyle with fitness and clean eating. I became interested in the Paleo diet. I am a total carbaholic! I knew I ate too many carbs. So while I was doing Crossfit, I set a goal to limit my carbs. I did pretty good with limiting how much carbs I ate, except for the weak moments where I let my cravings get the best of me! 

My friend Deborah has embraced the Paleo diet/lifestyle. When I stayed with her for a week in New Mexico this summer, we ate Paleo the whole week. I felt so much better! I had more energy. I had less bloating and digestive problems. It was amazing the difference that it made in how I felt! Then I came back home- the new school year began. I was swamped at work and stressed out. I stopped going to Crossfit. I was in a slump, BIG time!  So, I fell off the wagon and didn't focus on eating clean or my fitness!  It is a lifestyle not a diet! I've heard people say it over and over. It is so true!

I know it is so cliche making resolutions for the approaching new year. Most people, including me, make resolutions they will never keep. But I truly want to be dedicated to the lifestyle of eating clean,  dedicating time to fitness, and just simply finding ways to be healthy- physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

SO, this is what has prompted me to play in the kitchen tonight- and try out a new recipe I found on a blog that I absolutely LOVE: "Against all Grain." I've loved looking at the recipes on Danielle's blog for several months now, but never tried one- until tonight! I baked her "Real Deal Chocolate Chip cookies" tonight! Let me tell you, they ARE the real deal! They are delicious- and they have no grains! I am loving learning a new way of baking. These cookies have made me a believer in baking with almond flour and coconut flour! Even the hubby gave the cookies his seal of approval! He loved them! I am so excited about finding more recipes to try out! 

I even got to rock my new apron that I bought from the Loveless Cafe in Nashville! I love it! So vintage- looking! Happy Baking everyone! If you have a Paleo recipe that you have made that you love, please share with me in the comments below! Below is the link to the recipe for Danielle's amazing Chocolate Chip cookies! 

http://againstallgrain.com/2012/08/29/real-deal-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Doggy Mama Worries

I woke up with a troubled heart this morning. During the night, I was awoken by my little dog Riley  ( who is my baby) panting. I know that when dogs are panting , it usually means they are in some kind of pain. So, I woke up and gave him some medicine. He has Degenerative Disc Disease. I hate to see him in pain. After he took his medicine, he curled up next to me and his panting subsided and he was able to go to sleep. This morning so far, he seems to be feeling much better. He is chewing his bone. So, I think he is in his happy place now. I get so scared when he is feeling bad. I just feel so helpless. Hopefully, it was a short episode and he will feel better today. Prayers please! 

Have any of y'all had a dog with this disease? Any advice? Thanks! 

Here is a picture of my sweet Riley! 

The Musings of a Travel Bug: Honky Tonk Nashville Weekend

As I sit here at my house in my cute and cozy office (I actually call it my mini- library), the familiar sad feelings come over me, what I call my post trip sadness. This happens to me every time I come back home from a trip. I get so sad that my trip is over. Does anyone else get this feeling? I look forward to the trip so much. I go, I conquer, I have a blast, and then it's just over too quickly! Then the sadness settles in. I know it's crazy! But I feel this way every time. I'm just addicted to traveling, I guess! So, here I sit- looking forward and ready to plan my next trip. My husband and I just came back from our Christmas trip. Our tradition is to go on a trip for our Christmas present to each other. Sometimes we do just a little weekend trip somewhere close by. Other times we have went on a cruise or to the beach. This year we went to Nashville! I totally lost myself in the city. It truly is Music City! As you walk through the streets of downtown Nashville by the honky tonk bars- live music so sweet to the ear coming out of the opened doors and windows- It almost feels as if the city is breathing music! As weird as that sounds... The music is the pulse and the heart of Nashville and you can feel it when you are there in Downtown walking the strip on Broadway. We stayed at a hotel in the heart of downtown Nashville, within walking distance to Broadway. At night, we could hear the live music in our hotel room. Instead of using the motto of NYC - "the city that never sleeps, " you could say that Nashville is "the city where the music never stops!" We heard live acts from 11am until 3 am!

We had so much fun! I think one of our favorite experiences while we were there was visiting "The Johnny Cash Museum." It was so amazing just looking at Cash's costumes that he actually wore on stage. Seeing the guitars he played... Just standing there imagining him strumming that guitar. I loved being able to see the yearbook pictures of Johnny Cash. It was so touching seeing the actual handwritten poem that Johnny Cash wrote to his wife June after her death. He loved her so much. It was just an amazing experience.

We also enjoyed going to the historic Ryman Auditorium to see the Grand Ole Opry show! I've seen the Grand Ole Opry show one other time. It was in the new Opry house. The Ryman is the original Grand Ole Opry house. It was a wonderful, unforgettable experience going to the show at the Ryman. The Ryman is this beautiful old church. The auditorium seating is still the original "church pews." Just being there and knowing the amazing history of the legendary country music artists who played there... It is just a great experience. My favorite performances of the night were a canadian country artist Lindsey Ell singing "Amazing Grace," The Rocky Top Express singing "Rocky Top," Holly Williams (Hank Williams Jr.'s daughter) performance of her song "Waiting on June"- written about her maternal grandmother & grandfather, and the performances by Chris Janson. Chris Janson was so grateful for the opportunity to play at the Grand Ole Opry. He was living his dream. It was great to watch and witness! He received a standing ovation. It was a wonderful night!

Eating the delicious award- winning homemade buttermilk biscuits and preserves at the Loveless Cafe was another one of our favorite things we did! If you visit Nashville, you have to go here and experience these biscuits! There will be a wait and it is out of the way from the city, but it is totally worth it!

One last foodie recommendation, if you are visiting Nashville- you MUST visit The Pancake Pantry! It is out near Vanderbilt University. It is AMAZING! They are famous for their pancakes (hence the name Pancake Pantry). They have 23 different varieties of pancakes. They have won awards for their sweet potato pancakes. When we got to the restaurant, there was already a line forming on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant. We got our place in line and waited for about 45 minutes. Don't let this deter you from eating here! It is TRULY amazing and worth the wait. I ordered the sweet potato pancakes. They come with a delicious cinnamon cream syrup! It was one of the best things I've ever ate in my life!

Until next time! Happy Monday! Have a wonderful week!