In a rush - No-Bake Pancakes

Good day, everybody!  December is a-flying by (holy.cow.) and I feel like in another blink of an eye, Christmas will be here!!  I have a good amount of time off of work during the time between Christmas and New Years, and I've gotta say, I'm REALLY looking forward to it.  2012 has about done me IN!  I feel like I have been in a rush to get something done every day for the last few months.  In an effort to try to help keep my stress level down, I have been trying to do really quick or cook ahead meals lately.  I've been eating eggs for breakfast almost every day, which is great because they're nutritious and very quick to make, but this morning I wanted something a little different.  So, I adapted Ani Phyo's Raw Coconut Breakfast Cakes this morning and I've gotta say, they came out really good!

Coconut Breakfast Cakes

Ingredients:

1/2 C Flax Meal (Ground Flaxseeds)
1 T Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened)
1 T Coconut Oil
1 t Raw Honey
1/8 t Sea Salt
1/2 t Cinnamon
1 T Water

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl until a soft dough forms

Pat the cakes into "pancakes" on a plate

Top with grass-fed butter and berries of your choice (or maple syrup)

Be sure to enjoy these with a big glass of water!  Your tum tum will thank you  :)

xoxo

Why I am back on meat.

Yep, you read that correctly.  Here we go.  I have already lost a few Facebook Fans with the comment that I am eating meat again, so we'll see how this goes!  It's true, I am back on the meat.  To keep from going into a dissertation, I'll give you a cliff-notes version as to why I decided to make this switch.

First of all, let me tell you why we decided to go OFF of meat in the first place.  It was because of this movie, Food Inc.  It is a sad, but enlightening movie into the food industry, but after seeing the inhumanely treated animals, our hearts caused our brains to not want to eat meat again.  We were vegetarian for 2 years (I went on and off fish).

And now, why I decided to go back ON meat.

1- Gluten-free, Soy-free.  When we started eating vegetarian, we were NOT gluten free or soy free.  Eating out at restaurants being vegetarian is a piece of cake.  Eating out at restaurants being gluten-free, soy-free, and vegetarian is not.  In fact, I had a meltdown at Walt Disney World back in 2011 (where the chefs are AWESOME with food allergies) because I felt like I was starting to develop an eating disorder by being so restrictive.  Being a recovering emetophobic (yes, I am working on this), I am prone to eating issues, and this was something that was adding to my list of anxiety-causing situations.  I am gluten-free and soy-free for health reasons, but vegetarian by choice.

2- Energy.  I am a very healthy eater. You all know, I eat almost completely organic, unprocessed foods.  Even with eating a zillion plants, nuts, seeds, fruits, eggs, dairy products, etc., I felt hungry and drained all the time.  I wanted to eat every 2 hours, I wanted to take naps, and I was super irritable.  My busy lifestyle couldn't support me feeling this way, and I knew that if I felt like this, there was a reason, and I needed to make a change.

3- Acne.  Holy heavens.  When I went gluten-free and soy-free, my acne ERUPTED.  I attribute this to one main factor- sugar.  I was replacing the wheat products I was used to with gluten-free products...sugar from grains, sugar from dairy, sugar from fruit, sugar itself... sugar was in most everything.  Within the first WEEK of adding pastured/free-range meat to my diet, my acne calmed WAY down, and is now almost non-existent.  I also attribute this to my hormones becoming more regulated from being off the soy.

4- Travel.  The last trip to Disney about did me in.  I cried in 3 of the restaurants, had to get up and leave one of them a couple of times.  It wasn't pretty, and was probably the worst Disney vacation I had ever had.  Hubs and I do like to travel, and we didn't want food restrictions to get in the way of us having a good time.  Life is too short for that.  So, this past trip we went to the Canadian Rockies, and had an AMAZING time.  We were able to eat at restaurants without feeling 'different'.  They're so gluten-free friendly in that part of Canada (it was wonderful), and I didn't have to live on salad or brown rice pasta.  I'll do a bloggie about my foodie adventures there soon.  We're planning on going to Disney in September, 2013, and Norway in 2014, with some smaller trips in between, and it's so much easier to dine out gluten-free when you can eat meat- that's just the way it is.

5- Life.  It was a big, emotional decision to start eating meat again.  We are very picky about the type of meat we get- all free-range, pastured meat.  We don't buy any conventional, factory-farmed meat because we know it's not good for our bodies.   I have lost 5+ pounds, I'm more emotionally stable, my acne has calmed down, I have more energy, my 'cycle' has regulated (TMI, sorry), and I feel GOOD.  That in itself is plenty of proof that I'm doing the right thing for MY body.  I'm sure there are people that do very well on a vegetarian/vegan diet, but over the past two years, hubs and I found out that we don't.

Now, I do have an eating routine that I'm sticking to-

1- Increase the amount of veggies I eat each day (lots of different types, both cooked and raw)
2- Increase the amount of probiotic foods (Bubbies Sauerkraut, Kombucha, Yogurt...)
3- When cooking for myself at home (which is 95% of the time) only use pastured eggs, free-range meat, raw dairy (if available) or at least organic.
4- Limit gluten-free pre-packaged products.
5- Eat some fruit each day, mostly berries.
6- Limit beans, rice, corn, and other legumes/grains.
7- Increase water intake

I have been doing this for a couple of months now, and I really do feel a difference.  This is right for ME, though not right for everybody, I'm sure.  I'll continue to post gluten-free and soy-free recipes, both vegetarian and non, and to all of my veggie and vegan followers out there, never fear- I still love a good raw meal every now and again ;)

xoxo

Who Wants Apples?! Crust-less Apple Pie a la Mode

Good afternoon everyone.  Who wants apples?!  Tis the season (thank gawd)- apples are in full swing, and I'm noshing away on them!  I made a SUPER EASY dessert this weekend that is TOTALLY worth a try!  Check it-

Crust-less Apple Pie a la Mode

Serves 2

1 Organic Apple, chopped into bite size pieces
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Nutmeg
1 t Vanilla Extract
1/4 c Water

Add all of the ingredients (except for the water) to a saucepan

Put a lid on the saucepan, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes

Add 1/4 cup of water, remove lid, and allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes

Once the liquid is reduced and the apples are soft, it's done!   Eat as is, or top with vanilla ice cream.

















This makes a great topping for pancakes, too!  Enjoy!  xoxo

4 Ingredient Grain-Free Cookies (Egg-Free)

HOLY TGIF, Batman.  To celebrate the end of a ridiculous week, I decided to try a new cookie recipe.  What better way to celebrate, huh?

Here we go.

4 Ingredient Grain-Free Cookies (Egg-Free)



Note:  This recipe makes 8 small cookies, or 4 normal size cookies- you pick!

3 T Coconut Flour
2 T Cold Butter (unsalted)
1 T Raw Honey
1 pinch Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 365* (odd temperature, I know)
In a food processor, process all of the ingredients until the dough forms

Roll dough into little balls and flatten on a parchment-lined cookie sheet
















Bake 9 minutes, or until golden brown.


In the meantime, eat what's left in the food processor with a spoon LOL.  This, mixed with Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips would make a FANTASTIC cookie dough.  I'm going to remember that for next time.  GASP- mix that with some vanilla ice cream.... omg it's getting dangerous now.

















The finished product.

Om nom nom.  Just enough to have a cookie fix without making a dozen and eating them for the next few days...or all at once.  The finished cookie would be a great crumbly topping on a baked apple or in the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie that I made the other day!!   Oh the ideas I'm having....


xoxo

Completely Unsolicited GF Pizza Review

Good day, everyone.  As I got home from work yesterday, I remembered that I had picked up a frozen pizza to try from our local-ish health food store.

Here it is!

Against the Grain Gourmet Pizza.  I had never tried it before, but what caught my eye was the small ingredient list.

Yeah, ok, that looks great.  And it gave the option for crispy crust or bendable crust.  What?  You can have bendy gluten-free pizza crust?  Since wheeeennnn???


I decided to put the frozen pizza on a my weathered baking sheet (it builds character) because  frankly we're selling our house and 99% of my baking stuff has been packed away.  It's fun- lots of fun.  Kind of like living out of a rental vacation home and I have to clean up every crumb as it happens.  FlyLady would be proud, I suppose.

In to the oven it went.  Then hubs says to me "can we put sausage on top??"  Why, of course!

Yes, yes, I know what you're thinking.  WHAT?!  YOU'RE EATING MEAT?!  SINCE WHEN?!  Well, since a few months ago.  I'll address this in more detail in another bloggie, don't worry.

And yaddy yaddy yaddy bingo bango, the pizza was done- about 15 minutes!  I topped half of the pizza with the sausage that I had cooked up, just so we could try the pizza as it was meant to be, too.

Holy.Heavens.

This was THE best frozen gluten-free pizza I have EVER had.  I'm not being paid to say that, I didn't get the pizza for free to review (though, Against the Grain, I would LOVE to get a pizza for free to review....just sayin').  The crust was doughy, the cheese was stringy, the pesto was awesome, and the pizza was huge.  We have leftovers for hubs' lunchie today, so for only paying a little over $13 for the pizza, and it was money well spent!  Quality ingredients, and totally an indulgence.  Of course my waistline wouldn't want to eat this every day.... but my taste buds sure would!  Way to go, Against the Grain!  You did a great job on this one!

xoxo.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Good morning, everybody!  Another frigid day in central Ohio, but I looooove fall so I can't say that I'm complaining!  What I also love about fall is anything and everything PUMPKIN.  I decided last night that this morning I would use the leftover canned pumpkin from yesterday's grain-free pumpkin bread to make myself a pumpkin pie smoothie for breakfast.

SIMPLE ingredients, and oh so good.  These can of course be adapted to fit your dietary needs.

1/2 c Canned Pumpkin
1/2 c Coconut Milk (Cow, Almond, Cashew.... milk of your choice!)
1/2 c Water
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Nutmeg
1/2 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I use the French Vanilla from LifeSource, but hubs can't have stevia so he uses the unflavored with a dash of vanilla extract and maple syrup)
1 T Chia Seeds
5-6 Ice Cubes

Throw all of the ingredients except for the ice cubes into the blender.

Blend baby, blend.

Add the ice cubes, blend some more, and pour into a big glass.

Glug glug glug.  Bottom's up!  Have a great Monday!  xoxo

Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread

Good Sunday afternoon to you all!  Fall.is.here.  Or maybe it's winter already, I can't really tell....brrr..brrrrrrr.

How about some paleo-friendly grain-free pumpkin bread?  Uh, yes please.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1/2 can Pumpkin
1/4 c Coconut Oil
1 TBS Honey or Stevia
1/2 t Sea Salt
1/4 t Baking Soda
2/3 c Coconut Flour
1 t Cinnamon
1 t Nutmeg
1/2 t Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350*

Mix together all of the wet ingredients

Blend in the spices, salt, and baking soda (action shot!)

Gradually blend in the coconut flour and mix until combined.  Pour into a coconut oil greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes.  Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.  If you can wait that long.  Om nom nom.

xoxo!

Raw Cheesy Kale Chips

Enjoy!  Om nom nom nom....





Recipe:

2 bunches of kale, stems removed, washed
1 cup nuts, soaked for 30 minutes 
1 red bell pepper, de-seeded
1/4 c lemon juice
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c nutritional yeast
1 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1/4 t chili or chipotle powder
1/4 c water (as necessary to blend)

blend ingredients (except for the kale) in a blender until smooth
mix with kale
dehydrate 6-8 hours at 110-118 degrees

And the winner is....

I obviously had a sophisticated way of drawing the name of who won my Coconut Oil Giveaway!  Ha.... ...and of course it's on Disney paper!  I don't own anything else.... :)

Congratulations, Eileen!  Send your name, address, telephone and email address to me at anniessimplelife@gmail.com, and your Coconut Oil will be on its way!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

A Monday Song

I think this is an appropriate song for this Monday evening.  Hope you all had a good day- mine was SO.BUSY.  An afternoon of meetings didn't allow me to get done everything I needed to... but there's always tomorrow I guess!

Hubs and I are off for a walk!  Have a good evening!  xoxo




Don't forget I have a giveaway going on! You have until Wednesday, April 4th at 5pm EST to enter!

Coconut Oil - GIVEAWAY!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***

Hi everyone, happy Saturday!  This is no April fool's joke- I have a giveaway!!  YAY!  My friends at Tropical Traditions sent me a HUGE 32oz jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to review (only if I wanted to, of course).  And what's awesome about Tropical Traditions is that they wanted me to review the product honestly, even if I didn't like it.  So cool!  Anyway, here's a short video about their product.



Now, you all know me- I eat coconut oil like it's going out of style, but I hadn't tried this particular type before.  Most coconut oils are either really bland or REALLY annoyingly coconutty (is that a word?).  This oil wasn't either of those, but instead a nice mix of coconut flavor and neutrality that could be added to any dish without making it feel like you're dining in the Caribbean (ha... though that would be nice I guess).  I used it as "butter" on my toast, as the oil in my coconut flour bread (recipe to follow in another bloggie), as a lotion, as a hair conditioner, as a facial moisturizer (nope, it didn't make me break out!), in my green smoothies, and as a cooking oil in EVERY-THING I made this week.  No eggs, pancakes or cheese stuck to any of my pans, and my food didn't taste like it needed topped with a cocktail drink umbrella.   There are a TON of uses for coconut oil- what I used it for just scratches the surface.  Here are some more ideas.

Now, you've heard how much I like this coconut oil- do you want one for yourself?!  My friends at Tropical Traditions are going to send one of my readers a FREE quart of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!   Can you believe it?!   Here's how to enter:

Subscribe to Tropical Tradition's Free Newsletter and leave a comment below letting me know that you subscribed.  For an extra entry, leave a comment on my Facebook Page telling me how you like to use coconut oil.  You have until Wednesday, April 4th at 5:00pm EST to enter-ok, ready... set... go!

Have a lovely weekend!  Xoxo.

Where oh where has my little Annie gone?

...where oh where can she beeee??

Enough singing.  Happy first day of spring!  Or is it summer already?  Feels like it.

So where have I been?  Again, life has gotten tooooo busy, with no one to blame but myself.

A week and a half ago Brenton and I went to Las Vegas!  Why?  Well, not really for a vacation, though we tried to make it into one since we were out there.   To make a long story short, he was invited to play with the band 311 at 311 Day at the MGM Grand Arena.  We knew if he didn't go, he would regret it for the rest of his life- what an opportunity!  Not to mention that he would be playing in front of THOUSANDS of people, with a band he has been a fan of for... 13-ish years?!  Almost a no-brainer if you ask me!  The scramble to make travel arrangements began, since we had just under 2 weeks to get everything in place.

The event went off without a hitch, and though we were exhausted, it was well worth it.

The MGM Grand, where the concert was held.  What an awesome hotel!

We stayed at the Excalibur... aka KMart.  HAHA.  It was fine for the amount of time we were actually in the room.

I do have to say, our favorite part of the trip (besides the concert stuff) was watching the fountain at the Bellagio.   We watched it many times :)

So enough sight-seeing... what about the show?!?  Well, it was the craziest most awesome experience ever.

Here is the empty arena... you don't ever really see arenas empty, do you?!

Our badges

Brenton warming up before the show (backstage)

And me... waiting....waiting....waiting....



Equipment being set up on stage.

SHOWTIME!  Here's Nick, Tim, Jeff and some UNLV Percussion Ensemble players.

Brenton is on the far right.

Needless to say, most awesome experience ever.  EVER.

Lots of people have put up YouTube videos of the 4 songs that they played with 311.  Here are a few I found (I don't own these...)















xoxo

Crunch crunch crunch... Homemade Hair Gel and Hairspray

Good afternoon to you all!  My GOODNESS what a whirlwind February has been so far.  Luckily, the busiest part of the month is behind me (WHOO..... big sigh), which is good news for you because you get to see me more often now!  That is good news, right?

So I have decided to follow Momma Pea's advice on letting my hair go 'natural'.  Now, when I was born, I had CURLY CURLY hair.  Like not just wavy... straight up ringlets Shirley Temple style.

I know, aaaawwwwwhhhhhh, right?

Well, to this day, I still have curly hair.  But, you wouldn't really know it because, well, this bad boy has been my best friend for way too long.



Sorry sir, it's time that we part ways.


So in an effort to make my curls less frizzy and more curly, and because I'm the crunchy momma that I am, I have decided to make my own styling products and follow a new regime of hair care.

1- Flax Seed Hair Gel

I followed this video tutorial on how to make flax seed hair gel.  I am on day 2 of using it, and I must say, it works like a CHARM!  And, it's soy-free, which we all know that I need to be!




It really DOES work, and you really SHOULD try it.  Who doesn't have flax seeds laying around their house?!  If you're reading this blog, you probably do.

2- Sugar Hairspray

This was SO easy to make, it's almost funny.  AND it makes your hair smell sugary sweet... what's better than that?  Actually, the combo of that and the flax hair gel made my hair smell like cinnabons.

Recipe:

1 c water
2 T sugar (regular white sugar, organic cane sugar, Florida Crystals....whatever!)

Wash out an old hairspray bottle and set aside ( one with a fine mist pump)
On the stove, boil 1 c of water.  Once boiling, add 2 T of sugar
Boil a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the water level reduces a little bit
Allow to cool and pour into your clean spray bottle
Store in the fridge for about a week

Now there's a method to using this.  When you spray your hair, spray a fine mist at first and let it air dry.  Then, spray again.  This will keep your hair from going flat from the water.

At night, I have been showering like I normally do with my California Baby shampoo.  Every couple of days I do a conditioner only wash, also California Baby.  After my shower, I'll scrunch my hair up in an old t-shirt and let it dry a few minutes.  Sleep.  Wake up.  Hair is curly in the morning.  Scrunch hair with flax gel and allow to dry.  Spray a fine mist of sugar hairspray, and leave.  THAT'S. IT.  So much easier, so much faster, and SO much BETTER!

Have a lovely day, everybody!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAP-PY NUDE REAR! I mean... HAPPY NEW YEAR!  (ha...)   Holy.moly.  I have not disappeared off of the face of the planet, I swear.  It's been a crazy busy few months, and I'm hoping that this year brings a little more organization and efficiency in the time-management department.

So, what's been going on?  Let's see....

DIET-
Brenton and I are staying gluten-free, and I have recently added being soy-free as well.  Gluten-free and soy-free in my diet, as well as in all of my products, too.  THANK GOODNESS for California Baby, Bare Minerals, Skintactix, Badger Balm, Sun and Earth, Udi's and Enjoy Life.  I had to do a LOT of research, and throw out a lot of things, too.  At least I have found one of everything I need to "live" soy and gluten-free.  Going out to eat poses certain challenges, but the only thing that is NECESSARY for us is to be gluten-free.  The soy-free thing is extra, just to help manage my estrogen levels. Certainly slimmed down the clutter in the house!  In addition to all of that, I'm eating fish again, Brenton is still vegetarian, and we're trying to limit sugars and grains as much as possible.  Of course, we have to do it all in moderation.  When I was trying to be SO hardcore about being free of, oh, well, EVERYTHING, my life wasn't enjoyable.  I am prone to anxiety and eating disorders, and being SO limiting in my diet was just one stress after another.  Disney World wasn't fun in September (outside of the parks).  HOW COULD DISNEY, MY MOST FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD NOT BE FUN?!  Because I was TOO overly stressed about what I was eating.  It was at that point that I realized that something needed to change.  Moderation needed to come back into my life.  So, we're doing the best we can, most of the time.

WORK-
Same old here.  My office is being re-done while I'm on vacation, so hopefully when I get back my life will be slimmed down a LOT.  Who needs 3 desks and a 7 foot filing cabinet in an office?  Not me, no sir.  Supes excited about this change.  Other than that, lost of orchestra playing, music teaching, and social media business building.

LIFE-
Sigh.  2011 was a crazy year.  Busy.  Stressful.  Too much.  Ready for things to calm down and get more organized.

So what's in store for 2012?  I have some "resolutions" that I have been putting gradually into practice over the last few months, and what better time to REALLY try to make an effort than the new year?  Here are my goals....

1- DRINK MORE WATER.  I do NOT drink enough water each day.  This needs to change.  3 big glasses of water per day and 2 small glasses.  That is my goal.

2- EXERCISE 5-6 DAYS PER WEEK.  I need lots of variety in my workouts because I tend to get bored and burnt out pretty easily.  Brenton got 10 Tony Horton One on One DVD's and I got a Prevention Magazine 20 min workout set for Christmas, so I'm definitely wanting to make time for these each day.

3- MEDITATE 5-10 MINS PER DAY.  Necessary for anxiety management.  Either Reiki, meditation, yoga, or guided relaxation.  I don't need a lot of time, but I do need it every day.

4- TRY NEW RECIPES.  Once or twice a week I want to try new recipes.  Pretty self explanatory.

5- SPEND 30 MIN EVERY DAY DOING SOMETHING I LOVE.  This can be anything- practicing my instrument, watching a favorite tv show, listening to a favorite podcast, planning my 2013 Disney trip, whatever!

6- CREATE A SMALL HOUSECLEANING ROUTINE.  Just 10-15 minutes per day KEEPING the house clean, not re-cleaning the house every day.

7- BUILD MY SOCIAL MEDIA BUSINESS.  1 client down, 1 client on the way, 5 more to go.  :)

8- SLIM DOWN EVERYTHING FROM MY WARDROBE TO MY PANTRY.  I don't need all of the items that I have.  Clutter needs replaced with space.  Only keep items that I love, and donate what others could use.

9- TRY SOMETHING NEW, WITHOUT BEING SCARED.  We're going to Canada in September, which is something new because I have never been out of the country before.  While in Canada I want to try renting a canoe to use on Lake Louise.  How cool does this look?

10- AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, TRY TO ENJOY LIFE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

2011 was a tricky year, but 2012 will be better.  I am going to make a conscious effort to enjoy the little things every day, do more things for myself, and SLOW DOWN!

What are your plans for the new year?

AH-Mazin' Punkin' Smoothie

Hi folks- TGIF!

The Halloween decorations are down, Thanksgiving decorations are up.  Because we're so knee-deep into fall... and bordering on Christmas (holy cow), I was inspired to make some Punkin' Protein Smoothies!  These.Rocked.My.Socks.

Punkin' Protein Smoothie (serves 1)

1/4 C Milk
4 Ice Cubes
1/4 C Protein Powder
1/2 C Canned Pumpkin
1/2 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 t Cinnamon
1/2 t Vanilla Extract
1/2 t Maple Syrup (or honey)

BLEND!!!!

This was so good- I downed it in a gulp and a half.  TOTALLY making this again- it's like pie in a glass.  

Enjoy your evening, lovelies!  Better get my bread out of the bread machine before it browns too much!  Yipes!!  And don't forget to turn your clocks tomorrow night!  Lordylordy knows I need the extra hour!!