All posts by Lauren Silverman

Reviews

Spartan Up! Free Book Preview

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I was lucky enough to get sent a preview of the new book Spartan Up!: A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life. From what I’ve read so far, I’m definitely looking forward to its release date on May 13th. As someone who prides themselves on ancestral cooking and eating habits, I am intrigued by the concept of leading a lifestyle and philosophy similar to the Spartans . Although my nerve pain prevents me from pushing my body physically, I am grateful to learn this wisdom vicariously through the real-life stories offered in this book. I believe this wisdom can also be applicable to any endeavour requiring an extraordinary amount of will power, whether it be related to diet, health, money, or relationships. Since the Spartan Races are essentially extremely brutal obstacle courses, there is a very obvious and effective metaphor for overcoming difficult obstacles, and coming out stronger, and more focused (and thus happier) at the end.

I am especially looking forward to gaining more insight into such motivated individuals. When taking your health into your own hands, it can be difficult to motivate yourself to step outside what are considered “normal” habits. It can be especially difficult after encountering one scary setback after another, only to be faced with debilitating fear and doubt. My favorite part of the preview was when it briefly mentioned how much easier it became to make decisions and handle the stress of work and family, especially after facing a difficult race where food, water and shelter were your only concerns. This trial by fire, is essentially giving its participants amazing perspective that lets them better able to handle the difficulties and surprises in their own lives. Although, I’ve never been in a Spartan Race, dealing with constant chronic nerve pain has given me similar perspective about what is really important in my life. Once I was able to prioritize what matters the most to me, it became much easier to steer clear of temptations and distractions, especially those of the dessert variety.

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Giveaway

Juice It Up Giveaway

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I’m really excited to offer you guys my first giveaway. Juice It Up has given me $20 in gift cards, which I will be giving to one lucky follower. Although I love juices, I still haven’t splurged on a juicer. I have a great Vitamix for smoothies that I use regularly, but I prefer the convenience of ordering a juice every now and then. I try to make sure they are low in sugar and in fruit to get the most nutritional and health benefits. Don’t be afraid to ask them for exactly what you want. I’ve customized many juices and smoothies, even when they’re not advertised as such. Everyone has different health needs and it’s important that you stand up for them. Not that you will need to at Juice It Up, they’ve got some awesome green and vegetable juice blends including the Immunizer and the Healthy Heart.

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Desserts

Paleo Friendly Banana Bread

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This did cave in a little the next day, but it was fluffy when it came right out of the oven, which in my opinion is the best time to eat it. Baking with almond flour can be a little tricky since it’s much heavier, and your finished product will be denser. However, since it’s made with eggs and almonds it will be much more filing compared to many baked good recipes. In fact, I think of a slice of this as a cleaner alternative to a protein bar. I’ve been working out more, so I’ve upped the amount of gluten free baking in my diet so I don’t lose more weight. I got fitted for my wedding dress and I need it to fit me. Which can be difficult on a low sugar paleo diet, since this diet tends to make people lose weight…obviously 🙂 That’s why it’s so popular right now.

Paleo Friendly Banana Bread
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp of honey
  • 2 cups of almond flour
  • 2 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 3 bananas (full of black spots)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Mix dry ingredients (baking soda, almond flour, sea salt, and cinnamon) in one bowl, and wet ingredients (eggs, honey, and mashed bananas) in another.
  3. Melt coconut oil over stovetop. Then slow whisk/mix in the coconut oil with the wet ingredients. Be careful and go slow. You don't want scrambled eggs.
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then pour into a greased pan.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Dinner

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

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I’m really happy with the way this came out. It’s not very spicy so if you may need to add in another pepper or more chili powder. I paired the slow cooker beef and veggies with some cauliflower cous cous. It’s really easy to make, just put cauliflower into the food processor, and watch it get pulverized. Then, saute it with some stable cooking oil or broth, or even eat it raw. I barely cooked mine, but then ended up mixing it with the slow cooker vegetables and beef to make a big mashed mess. It tasted awesome though, and texture reminded me of grits. Maybe I should rebrand this as a Mexican breakfast? Put a poached egg over it and it would be breakfast for sure!

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 serano chili diced
  • 9 roma tomatoes chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 3 lbs of grass-fed beef brisket
  • 1 large white onion
  • 1 tbsp of chili powder (I used Frontiers brand)
  • 1 tsp of black pepper
  • 1 tsp of sea salt
  • 1 cup of water
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients to slow cooker.
  2. Set on low for 9 hours or high for 6.

Misc Info

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

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It’s my blog’s first birthday! It was actually March 4th, but time has flown by so fast that I almost missed it! I’m really proud of the work I’ve done this year. I’ve guest posted for Answers.com, I’ve had a couple photos on foodgawer, and I’m part of a few food blogging websites where my recipes get posted. I’ve also met a lot of cool food bloggers online and I’m really lucky to be a part of their facebook groups and community cookbooks. I would love to get my own cookbook out in the next year, hopefully one that has a print version!

Once again, thank you so much for your support, it’s really means a lot. I’m so excited for the next year, and hope you continue to enjoy my kick-ass recipes (can you tell I’m proud of them?) and my super helpful health articles. I’d love to hear your feedback on what you liked, what you disliked, and what you want to see for the next year. That way I can get a better idea what to focus on. Personally, I love creating new paleo recipes. In fact, I have one slow cooking right now…get ready for it…Slow Cooker Southwest Shredded Beef. I love my slow cooker, so plan on more of those recipes. I’m currently reading an awesome cookbook called All About Roasting by Molly Stevens, so plan on some crazy good oven recipes too! Later, health nuts!

Soups

Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup

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It’s a shame this soup isn’t more popular, because it’s full of nourishing gelatin, and it tastes amazing. It smells good too. I was literally standing over the slow cooker smelling it, while I waited for it finish cooking. I hope you love this as much as I do!

Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
 
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Ingredients
  • 2.5 lbs of oxtail
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 carrots chopped ½ inch
  • 1 parsnip chopped ½ inch
  • 3 cups of chopped white onions (= 1 large onion)
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp of minced garlic (= 3 cloves)
  • garnish with fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
  1. Defrost oxtail, the slow cooker will eventually defrost it if you forget this step.
  2. Throw all ingredients into the slow cooker. Then fill rest of slow cooker with water.
  3. Cook on high for 6 to 7 hours or low for 9 to 10 hours.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Scoop out oxtail bones, and let them cool enough for you to handle.
  6. Then peel and/or chop as much meat off as possible. This is the tough part, pun intended since there is not much meat and some of it may be tough. Do your best. Then add meat back into soup.
  7. Garnish with fresh parsley (optional)