Snow Day, Getting back on the Healthy Wagon, and Turtle Fudge Cheesecake

Both the boys are snoozing and the snow is still blowing around outside so I've finally got a moment of free time to share with you yet another AMAZING "cheese"cake recipe.  I'm addicted to these things!  It's my new favorite dessert.  I think I may have mentioned before that Elliot really doesn't seem to have a dairy intolerance anymore - I've been eating it and he's handled it just fine - but I can't stop making this dessert.  The first time I made it was because I wanted something to make me feel like I was still kind of eating a cheesecake even though I couldn't eat cheese.  And it turned out so freaking amazing that I just haven't stopped.  And there are so many different ways to make this, too!

So far the "cheese"cakes I have made include:
Cookie Dough
Pumpkin
Cherry
Chocolate Heath
Lemon-Blueberry

The lemon-blueberry has been my favorite so far.  But I'm a sucker for that flavor combination, and those flavors by themselves.  Girl Scout cookies came in and so far I've resisted busting into the box of Savannah Smiles and eating the whole thing all in one sitting...

On a side note, I actually haven't busted into the box because I've finally cracked down on my diet.  Like, gotten serious about it, for REAL this time.  Remember my first post of the new year?  I admitted that I'm human and have made mistakes, I totally fell off the Paleo wagon and have been gaining weight steadily and feeling crappier and crappier about myself.  And I said in that post that I'd try to do better, and I haven't.  It's March now, we're a quarter of the way into the year, and I haven't changed.  I've been slacking in my workouts more and more, still eating way more carbs and processed food than I care to admit, and it's been showing.  My skin is blotchy, I feel tired and run-down, and my "spare tire" keeps growing.

A few things finally hit me, which I'll probably write about in a future post, but I finally found the motivation to crack down and stick with it.  One thing that helped was starting up personal training again.  I'm just the type that needs that sort of exercise.  I need to be on someone's schedule, I need to have accountability, I need someone to tell me what to do and how to do it.  I'll put it on my calendar and show up.  This time, it's with a totally new trainer, in a totally new location, with a totally new system.  I got soooo much out of Flex and had such great success with Derek, but the timing just wasn't there this time, and I'll admit I've been nervous about trying something different, coming from knowing what he came up with for me worked so well.  But at the same time I'm excited about the change of pace, the different scenery, the different trainer - it's mixing things up a bit for me, giving me something new to look forward to, and that helps keep me motivated.  My first day was Tuesday and I'm sore today!  I felt so happy after I left - I'm back on track, getting back into the swing of things, and there's a light at the end of a tunnel that I dug myself into - a tunnel that just kept getting longer and darker the more I fell into the clutches of my bad habits.

And with this new exercise routine, I'm feeling a sense of motivation.  She took my weight, measurements, and body fat percentage, and being able to have tangible numbers in front of me made me feel determined to keep those numbers changing.  I want to burn off the body fat, regain my confidence, and most importantly, my good health.  But that's not a goal that's met in the gym, and I know that.  These are goals that will only be met if I behave in the kitchen too.  I guess the realization set in that I really do need to take the bull by the horns and crack down.  So all day yesterday I've been gluten-free, and all day today I've been 100% Paleo.  I'm going to focus primarily on gluten-free, as I'm sure non-paleo carbs will sneak in here and there, but I'm going to do my best to keep it as Paleo as possible.  I'm already feeling better, it's amazing what just two days have done.

Anyway.  That's where I am right now.  I'm excited and motivated and feeling really good about the future.  Bring on bikini weather!  (No seriously, please bring on bikini weather, this snow is getting OLD.)

Here are some snow pictures:

My brother Joel and I with our Buddha snow sculpture

Justin built a snowman

 Us with our friends Clay and Barbi with our igloo that we built in the front yard of my office

Alright, now for that "cheese"cake recipe!  It was Mom's birthday on Saturday (happy birthday, Mom!) and I told her I'd make her one of my cakes, and I threw some ideas out for what types I'd like to make, and she requested turtle fudge.  I was totally okay with that idea!  And ooooh my goodness it turned out great!!  We went over Sunday and played in the snow, then went inside for lunch and then to indulge in this fabulous dessert.  It tasted sinful.  I'm just blown away by how delicious it was, without having anything bad in it!  Of course it was chock-full of calories... I guess we can't get off THAT easy... but at least it contained a fraction of the carbs of what the SAD (Standard American Diet) version of this cake would be.

Doesn't that look heavenly??

So this was almost-vegan.  You can definitely make it totally vegan if you want, but I didn't want to.  It was also involved.  It took a few days of prep-work and had a lot of different steps involved.  But I'm telling you, it was SO worth it.  Plus Harlee got a kick out of helping me, as usual.

First, I made dairy-free sweetened condensed milk.  I found this recipe on The Detoxinista.  It's super easy to do, here's how:

Sweetened Condensed Milk being poured into fudge mixture

Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk

You need:
1 14oz can of full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup honey (or sweetener of choice)

Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, about 5 minutes.  Whisk it while it's heating so it doesn't burn, and watch closely so it doesn't boil over.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and pour in the honey, whisking until it's dissolved into the milk.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the milk is reduced by half and thick.  Let cool.

I put it in an airtight dish and kept it in the fridge til I was ready to make the cake.  This is an ingredient for the fudge, which I made after I made the crust for the "cheese"cake.  The crust was pretty much like all the other crusts, only this time I used both almonds and pecans:

Crust

You need:
2 cups pecans, ground into flour
1 cup almonds, ground into flour
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a springform pan (or 8x8 glass baking dish) with parchment paper.  Spread the crust mixture out evenly on the bottom, pressing flat.

Now that the crust was done, I was ready for the next layer: Fudge.  I actually got this idea when I happened to catch an episode of Giada at Home on FoodNetwork, and she made Cinnamon Fudge.  I got online and realized, I can totally Paleo-ify this!

Yummy melting fudge

Paleo Fudge

You need:

1 recipe Coconut Sweetened-Condensed Milk (see above)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups dark or milk chocolate chips (I used a combo of both)
3 tbsp butter or coconut oil (I used butter)

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl, and place the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.  Stir the ingredients until melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat and, if you want just plain fudge, spread it out in a baking dish lined with parchment paper.

Or, in the case of this cake, spread it out over the crust mixture and let cool.

K, so you've got a crust, a layer of fudge, now you need the "cheese"cake!  That part hasn't changed, only this time I added an extra cup of cashews so I could have a little more :).

"Cheese"Cake

3 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Discard the water the cashews were soaking in and place in a food processor or blender along with the other ingredients.  Blend until smooth.

I spread this mixture out over the fudge, then I sprinkled on more chocolate chips as well as chopped and whole pecans.  Then came the last step.  Caramel.  I got this recipe from Simple Roots Wellness and modified it to what I had on hand.

Paleo Caramel

1 14oz can full fat coconut milk
⅓ cup honey (original recipe called for coconut sugar - that would have worked better but I didn't have any on hand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
¼ tsp salt

In a small saucepan add coconut milk and honey.  Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring the whole time.  Once boiling turn down heat and stir continually at a slow boil, careful not to let it burn.  Continue boiling until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 25-35 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, oil or butter and salt.  Mine was light in color compared to regular caramel.  I'm sure using coconut sugar would have changed that.  But it still tasted awesome!

Drizzle this all over the top of the pecans and chocolate chips and pop the whole thing in the freezer for at least two hours.  Transfer to the fridge to thaw and soften, and dig in.  And marvel at how amazing it is.

Facebook - My Lenten Resolution

I decided to try giving up my Facebook newsfeed for Lent.  I haven't participated in Lent in over a decade, but I always liked the idea of doing something to better myself.  And I have a confession to make (and I'm making it because I believe there are a lot more people in my boat than are willing to admit) - Justin and I play on Facebook waaaaay more than is appropriate (in my opinion).  That and I was sick of seeing so many controversial, bold statements being made by a lot of people and groups I was part of.  I decided we needed a break.  We needed to pay more attention to each other and to our boys and to the people we were around in social settings.

But I think that's what we need to work on the most - WHEN we play on our phones, more so than what we're doing on them.

I like Facebook.  I stay in touch with my friends, with out-of-town family members, with clients.  I post pictures of my boys so people can see what they're up to as they grow.  I see what my friends are doing and it gives us more to talk about when we're together.  I like seeing my friends' pictures and statuses.  I'm part of groups of like-minded people, and I usually learn new things through them.  I also do a lot of advertising on Facebook for my business, and I share things I feel are important by posting articles I've read or snippets of articles, which makes the information get around more quickly than these blog posts.
I've missed out on things in this short week.  A few friends had babies, a few other friends had children who reached milestones, and different new around town has been shared that I didn't get to see.  People brought things up while in massage sessions with me that I would have known about had I been online, and I felt out of the loop.  I guess it's not overly important that I know all the latest gossip, but some things are actually important and not simply gossip.  As a business owner I almost feel like it's necessary to be online.  As a business owner you need to keep up with the times, stay current with social networking, stay in touch with your community the most efficiently.

Facebook can also hold a lot of drama.  People get courageous when they're not face-to-face with a person, and they feel they can say whatever they want, however they want to.  And they do.  I've seen it, and it does bother me.

But, in this first week of Lent, I've realized that it's not the use of Facebook that's preventing me from being a better person, it's HOW I use it.  And that goes for everyone.  If you're going to use it to stir up drama, yeah that's not good.  If you're going to browse it when you're supposed to be playing with your children, or on a date with your significant other, or hanging out with your friends, that's not good either.  And unfortunately, Justin and I have been guilty of that.

So for Lent, and forever after, we're going to make an effort to not play on it.  If we're alone and nobody needs or wants our attention, we can play on Facebook.  If not, our phones need to be put aside so we can focus on the people who are present with us in real life, not on cyber space.  Cyber space can wait.  Real life is happening now.

And on that note, we're going to have family movie night.  Have a great night!

More Vegan Cheesecake (Cuz It's My Birthday!)

I love birthdays.  I've probably mentioned that before.  I made two vegan cheesecakes for my birthday too and I'm SO happy with the turn-out!  By the way, I've been eating dairy little by little and Elliot has shown no adverse reactions to it.  So I'm thinking we are in the clear from his former dairy allergy!  I still don't eat it a LOT because I've noticed I personally feel better when I avoid it (and my skin is clearer, too, among other things), but sometimes it's hard to pass up (like in the form of cheese or milk chocolate...).  However, even though I don't HAVE to avoid dairy, I'm not going to stop making this dessert.  Seriously, it's THAT good.

This has been a great birthday weekend so far.  I couldn't have asked for better weather for February, thanks Mother Nature!  Friday night I had some friends over - I decided it's easier to just have everyone come to me rather than going out, that way we can hang out at our own leisure and nobody has to worry about getting sitters for their kids or anything like that.  Plus Justin makes pork steaks that rival anything I've had at a restaurant so I'm always happy to stay home if those are on the menu!  Everyone brought a dish and we had a great evening.  And I'm pretty sure everyone gave the thumbs-up on my "cheese"cakes!

Me, the girls, Elliot, and his two little buddies on the way :)

Saturday we took Rachael with us to the St. Louis City Museum, because you're never too old for that place, and I wanted to do something I don't normally get to do.  We got sushi for lunch and then played the rest of the day.  It was fun!  And a little rough on the knees... The weather was so perfect, though - which worked out great for playing outside!

Sunday Rachael and Cassie came over for a birthday party workout, which was so much fun!  I really liked this one - Rachael surprised me with the line-up, so it was nice to not have to make one up myself.  It was a rough one though!  We started out doing 86 lunges... which we immediately decided to change to 86 front kicks and did 19 lunges instead.  My butt is sore from all that leg work...  I really liked that it was a 29 minute AMRAP though (As Many Rounds As Possible).  It forced us to get a good half-hour workout in, when normally my crossfit workouts have been done in 5 minutes.

Later we took the Harleys out with Clay and Barbi and rode up to Bully's Smokehouse in Columbia for a late lunch.  Ooohhh I've missed the bike... We hardly rode at all in over a year, being busy with the house and me being pregnant with Elliot, so it was nice to finally get a good ride in.  Hope we can get more in the books this spring and summer!

Justin and I watched The Giver after the boys fell asleep.  Holy crap that movie was powerful.  Or at least I thought so.  I read the book a loooong time ago so I kinda forgot what it was about, but I remember liking it.  Don't remember it being that intense though...

After a busy weekend, I spent today, my actual birthday, not doing anything too exciting at all.  We went to the chiropractor, then I had to get blood drawn to check my thyroid and adrenals (more on that some other time), happy birthday to me... Then we did a little shopping.  We did eat at Olive Garden, per my request, and now I feel lazy and sluggish from the breadsticks and pasta.  Good reminder why I try to keep my diet clean...  Clay and Barbi are coming over again this evening for pizza (yeah, I'm doing it to myself again!) and that's a wrap for my birthday!  It was a great welcome into the last year of my 20s!

Here's the recipe for my "cheese"cakes!  I'll start with the lemon-blueberry.  That was originally going to be my only cake, as I'm a sucker for lemon and blueberry flavors, but it's not a favorite flavor combo for everyone, so I did a back-up cake with a chocolate-heath flavor.  It was way less healthy... but so freaking good regardless... haha :)

Lemon-Blueberry "Cheese"cake

For the crust:

2 cups pecans, ground into flour
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a 7x11 (or 8x8, which is what I used) glass baking dish with parchment paper

Spoon in crust mixture and flatten evenly

For the filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
2 tsp lemon extract

3 tbsp lemon juice

 

Discard the water the cashews had been soaking in.

Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt in the food processor.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

 

 

For the topping:

2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup honey
1-2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the blueberries and honey in a sauce pan and bring to a boil while adding the lemon juice and vanilla.  Simmer about 5 minutes and add the arrowroot while stirring until it is all combined.  Simmer on low until thickened and take off the heat. 

 

Take half the filling a set aside.  Mix the other half of the filling with some of the juice from the blueberries.  Swirl the two halves of filling together and spread out in the baking dish.  Top with blueberries, place in the freezer for a couple hours to set, then move it to the refrigerator to soften before serving.  Enjoy!

 

 

Chocolate Heath "Cheese"cake

 

For the crust:

2 cups pecans or almonds, ground into flour
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a 7x11 (or 8x8, which is what I used) glass baking dish with parchment paper

Spoon in crust mixture and flatten evenly

For the filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder

 

Discard the water the cashews had been soaking in.

Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, salt, and cocoa powder in the food processor.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

Spread filling out over the crust, top with melted chocolate and Heath toffee bits, and freeze for a couple of hours.  Move to the refrigerator to soften for a couple hours before serving.

Slow Down, People!! Essential Oils Safety

I've been itching to write this post.  So so eager to get this information out there.  Our little community has exploded with essential oil users, my Facebook newsfeed is loaded with posts about people using oils or recommending oils or boasting about oils.  You all have probably heard at least something about the amazing healing power of essential oils by now, and you probably have an awareness that essential oils are so much more than something to smell.

But, do you personally know an aromatherapist?  Do you even know what an aromatherapist is?

If you started getting into essential oils, who got you started on them?  A chiropractor?  A massage therapist?  How in-depth have they been trained on using these gems of natural healing?  I'm a massage therapist and I can speak for our category that we are not specifically trained in essential oil use - aka aromatherapy.  I'm pretty certain chiropractors aren't either.  They're trained in the manipulation of bones and in working with the nervous system.  We're trained in working with the muscles.  Aromatherapists are trained in healing with essential oils - using them safely, properly, and effectively.

We're all learning as we go.  I know I am.  I was under the impression essential oils are totally safe.  I was under the impression you can use any of them anytime anywhere with no repercussions.  I was under a lot of impressions...  But I wasn't raised around them - they've been a totally new concept to me as a natural healing method for only three and a half years.  I've been raised around herbal remedies and homeopathic remedies my entire life.  I certainly don't know everything about those remedies, but I've had quite a few years to research them and learn as I go.  Three and a half years isn't a very long time.  Not for something as broad and complex as essential oils.

Essential oils need to be treated with a bit more respect.  I realize people have gone a bit overboard with them, including myself.  But just as you wouldn't OD on a pharmaceutical drug (I hope), you shouldn't OD on essential oils, either.  They are medicine - the chemical components of the healing elements of a plant - real, powerful, effective medicine and should be used for their intended purposes.  They can do amazing things, as my family and I have experienced first-hand.  But if overused, they can cause harm, which we've also experienced first-hand.  The last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt out of good intentions, and then on top of that wind up with these oils getting a bad name all because of misuse.

I wish I had learned more about them before diving in head-first.  We've had a few negative experiences due to my lack of knowledge.

The realization of my huge lack of knowledge set in when I attended the first class conducted outside of my Young Living oils (yes, I've branched out, more on that later) by and actual aromatherapist - somebody who specializes in essential oils and aromatherapy.  She spoke of overusing the oils, and not going overboard with them because it takes a toll on our livers.  The liver needs to filter everything, and these oils are so incredibly potent that they create extra work for your liver, so you can see how overusing the oils can possibly wind up causing more harm than good.

That was us in late November/early December.  We had cold symptoms going on for quite awhile - runny noses, coughs, whatever, and several times we kept catching bugs going around resulting in fevers or fatigue, etc.  This was all happening despite my daily use of Thieves, applied to our feet as well as diffused in the air overnight, along with other oils that are supposed to be good for the immune system.  I was using these a couple times a day, every day, and we were not getting better.  Why were we not getting better?  I brought this up to the woman conducting the class and she suggested I cut the oils out.  Give our bodies a break.  So I did.  I didn't apply Thieves that night, nor did I diffuse it, and I didn't touch them at all the next day.  I took my normal supplements, and gave Harlee his normal liquid vitamins in his juice, and left the oils out.

Wouldn't ya know, within days we were better.  Coughs gone, noses clear, feeling good.  All of us.  And we haven't been sick since (well, Harlee just recently developed a cough but I'm treating that homeopathically and relieving it with intermittent use of essential oils).

Another experience I had came from doing too many Raindrop sessions at my office.  The Raindrop Technique basically uses a bunch of essential oils that are antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-microbial, etc., etc. and they are applied to the feet along the reflexology points of the spine (the edge of the arch of the foot) and dripped directly along the spine and worked in with different massage techniques.  It's supposed to boost your immune system and give you added health benefits.  But after I learned about overusing the oils, I've been a little leery of doing these sessions anymore... especially because Wintergreen, Oregano, and Peppermint were three very strong oils used in the session and those are ones that I've learned should be used sparingly.  Among them are Basil, Thyme, Cypress, and Marjoram, and the Young Living blends AromaSiez and Valor (which has frankincense in it, another very powerful oil).  I had been performing these sessions at least 1-2 times a week since the end of October.  Now that more excitement has spread through town about the effectiveness of essential oils, it seems like EVERYONE wants to get their hands in them.

Meanwhile, Elliot developed some terrible eczema on his back.  It covered his entire back, from his butt to his neck, and occasionally I could tell it bothered him, which I tried relieving with coconut oil and lavender oil.  I couldn't figure out what would be causing it - my diet?  Our laundry detergent?  I was at a loss.  Until I spoke with the aromatherapist I had met at that last class about learning something to replace Raindrop therapy, and we scheduled a class for myself and two other gals (one being a nursing mom as well).  The instructor said she was going to check and make sure that this class was safe for nursing mothers, and at that moment I thought, wait, you mean that's something we should be concerned about?  I told her how many raindrop sessions I had done, and at that moment she said "Oh my goodness STOP.  Don't do anymore.  I guarantee that's where your son's eczema is coming from."

I haven't done another session since the first week of January.  I haven't changed a single thing in my lifestyle otherwise.  And wouldn't ya know, Elliot is all clear - not a single speck of eczema to be found on his skin anywhere.

At that moment, I felt an intense desire to spread the word about oil safety.  I'm working on scheduling a class for her to come out and teach my community about safe essential oil use, so stay tuned.  I hope everyone can make it, no matter whether you're a Young Living user or a DoTerra user or Mountain Rose Herbs or Plant Therapy, or what have you - we're all using the oils and we all need to know how, and the way to learn is through someone who's been specifically trained in using them.

So many of my clients have come through and rattled off the arsenal of essential oils they've been using on themselves and/or their kids, and I've really been getting worried.  Quite a few pregnant woman have been using them too much too, like taking them internally, which is soooo so dangerous.  I knew the experience I had - I'm so thankful it wasn't worse.  I'm feeling scared for all the people out there using them so much and getting so gung-ho with it thinking they're completely harmless.  While there are plenty of oils that are a lot safer than others, like lavender, there are also a lot of oils that should be used sparingly, like peppermint, oregano, and wintergreen.  I used peppermint all the time, especially to ease an upset stomach (which it works wonders for, by the way!).  But you absolutely should not use peppermint on children under 3, as it can possibly cause breathing spasms, and otherwise should use it sparingly.  It's powerful!  Oregano has been a household favorite, especially after it cured Justin's strep throat, but again should be used sparingly.  Using it too much can be toxic to the liver.  Yet I've heard of so many people using it in "homemade flu shots" and I've seen those recipes all over Pinterest.  Slow down!  Oregano packs a punch and should be used in big situations, like the strep throat incident.  I'm glad I learned this - we started using it simply to cure a sore throat just as a precaution.  We've since quit using it at all and will only save it for acute situations (which hopefully we won't run into but it's good to have on hand).  And Wintergreen - it's one of few of the only plants in the world that naturally contains methyl salicylate, which is the main ingredient in aspirin.  No wonder it's such an effective pain killer!  But using it too much can create a toxicity, just as taking too many aspirins would.

I could go on for days.  And I have so much more to learn too!

I'm excited about what I've already learned, and excited to continue to learn more.  Keep those oils on hand, but use them with a little more reverence.  They're powerful, and should be respected as such.  I know I'm going to be a bit more careful with them!  I'm going to keep learning more about them, too.  I've finally found an opportunity to get REAL education about them, unlike any other I've been able to find before, even through Young Living.  And don't worry, Young Living is an amazing company.  I'm just realizing there's more beyond that.  Email me if you'd like more information, otherwise stay tuned, I'll definitely be writing more about it soon!

Justin's Birthday, Brisket, and Cherry Cheesecake

How is January almost over already?  This is crazy!  I wanted to publish Justin's birthday cheesecake recipe back around his actual birthday, but now it's almost MY birthday!  Oh well, I'm the kind of person who likes to celebrate birthdays for weeks so we can still pretend it's his birthday :).

Hi birthday is January 11th, so in the days leading up to it I brainstormed what to do to celebrate.  I asked Harlee to ask Justin what kind of birthday cake he wanted.  That was entertainment:

Me: Harlee, ask Dad what kind of birthday cake he wants.
Harlee: What kind of birthday cake you want, Dad?
Justin: Tell Mom a cherry cheesecake.
Harlee: Dad wants a chicken cheesecake!
Justin: No, a cherry cheesecake
Harlee: He wants a cherry on top!

I shared that on Facebook so some of you may know this story already.  Hahaha it still cracks me up though.

I did not make a chicken cheesecake with a cherry on top, which I guess didn't disappoint Harlee.  I didn't make a conventional cheesecake, either.  I went with my vegan style cheesecake - dairy-free and paleo (well, almost... I did drizzle some melted white chocolate on top... but other than that it was paleo!)!

Fortunately this turned out amaaaazing.  Wow I was so happy with the outcome... And I'm glad too - last year Justin's birthday cake was a total flop - a very sad attempt at a paleo red velvet cake.  He deserved a damn good cake this year, so I'm very happy this turned out so well!  I don't really know how I got so lucky with him... usually winter is slow for him at work (he's a boilermaker) so he's been home a lot, and he's totally assumed the role of "super dad".  He's been cleaning, keeping up with laundry, dishes, watching the kids, running my errands... All I've had to do is go to work and cook dinner (which I enjoy doing anyway).  I wish it could be like this forever... I'm not really your typical female I guess, and I'd definitely fail miserably at being a 50's house wife - I much prefer being at work over being at home doing all the chores Justin's been keeping up with.  He doesn't seem to mind, though, which is kinda funny.  Definitely a big role reversal going on here!  But hey, we've got balance, and that's all that matters!  On top of being a great wife, he's also been finishing up some projects around the house - the stairs to the basement are now sealed and shiny with polyurethane, he's got an amazing hand-made gun rack set up in the vault in the basement along with the bones of a hunting room, he's started unpacking a lot of boxes that had been pushed to the side amidst the craziness of moving in, having a baby, moving my business, and then celebrating holidays.  I don't know how he's pulled everything off that he has, and on top of that he's had time to come pick me up from work and take me out to lunch quite a bit.  My stress levels have been, well, nil - I may have forgotten what the word "stress" even means... And that's come in super handy since Elliot had been pretty unhappy about his incoming teeth.  He's a lot better lately, which I just posted about, but for awhile there... whew!

 Justin is currently elbows deep in his next project - the chicken house.  The Papenberg Homestead is on its way to becoming just that - a homestead.  I've never raised chickens before, I have no idea what's involved with it... all I know is that they look creepy, but they taste good and so do their eggs!  I'm super excited about fresh eggs...  I'm also excited about the fact that they supposedly eat anything - so when I have cooking scraps (like rinds, peels, stems, cores, seeds, etc.), I can toss it to the chickens rather than feeling really bad about throwing it away and being wasteful.  I could start composting, but there's a lot of involvement in that, from what I understand, and I'm not seeing me sticking with that kind of project.  So, to the chickens it'll go!

I digress.  So anyway, we started the morning with Justin's birthday present, which Harlee was excited to help him open:

We got him a scope mount for his gun.  He was pleased with that gift and spent the rest of the morning attaching it to his gun while Harlee and I got to work on dinner for the evening.  We made brisket in the crockpot with all homemade ingredients.  Harlee loves helping me cook!

homemade ketchup

stirring the homemade Worcestershire sauce

 We also had roasted garlic Parmesan asparagus and a salad with mixed greens, apples, walnuts, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette dressing that anyone can make:

1 part balsamic vinegar
1 part olive oil
1/4 part honey
Garlic powder, salt and pepper, basil and oregano to taste

Shake it or whisk it together and enjoy!

Here's the link to the recipe I used for our brisket:  http://paleoleap.com/slow-cooked-beef-brisket/
And here's what dinner looked like:

Yum!

But I've kept you waiting long enough.  How about that "cheese"cake recipe, then?


Topping
2 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup honey
1-2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the cherries and honey in a sauce pan and bring to a boil while adding the lemon juice and vanilla.  Simmer about 5 minutes and add the arrowroot while stirring until it is all combined.  Simmer on low until thickened and take off the heat.





Crust:

2 cups ground pecans
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
Dark chocolate chips, melted (optional)

Mix all ingredients until combined.

Line a 7x11 (or 8" springform pan, which I used) glass baking dish with parchment paper

Spoon in crust mixture and flatten evenly.  Spread melted chocolate over the crust, if you'd like (and why wouldn't you?)

Filling (which I doubled)

2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Dash sea salt
1/2 cup prepared cherry topping

Discard the water the cashews had been soaking in.

Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt in the food processor.

Blend until creamy and smooth.

Once blended, stir in the cherry topping and spread mixture evenly over crust

Spread the warm cherry topping over the cashew filling.
Place in freezer for 4-6 hours.

Move to refrigerator to thaw until ready to serve, then cut into bars or wedges.

I ended up melting about a half a cup of white chocolate chips and putting it in a ziplock bag, cutting the tip off, and  squeezing all that yumminess on top of the cheesecake.  So not paleo, yet soooo good...

Teething and Constipation

I can't seem to find time to post.  I'm sorry.  I miss writing, I really do.  However, my life has been consumed by work, family, and a teething baby.

Elliot has been an angry teething little monster.  Okay so he hasn't been THAT bad but still, he must have the world's lowest pain tolerance (which, I'll admit, he gets from his mother...) because cutting teeth is like the END of the WORLD.  He's not happy about it.  Drool, crying, fussy, chewing on everything, the whole nine yards.  And he wants constant attention.  It's frustrating, because I can't get much done when I'm holding a crabby baby all the time.  So, what does this natural mama do about teething?  Heck I don't know, this is kind of my first rodeo with that, Harlee handled it pretty well so I didn't have to bust out any tricks.

So this is what I've been doing with Mr. Elliot.  Aside from letting him chew on things and holding him and trying to comfort him constantly.

Hyland's Teething Tablets.  They've been fabulous - the babysitters have been thrilled with their effectiveness too.  They're homeopathic, too, so they won't have any scary adverse effects like Orajel which can cause your kid's mouth and throat to go numb.  Which does not sound like a good idea to me...

If it seemed really bad, and the teething tablets weren't cutting it, I'd switch to homeopathic arnica tablets, which is good for pain relief.  Followed by homeopathic chamomilla about 30 minutes to an hour later, which is good for soothing and calming.

But I was doing this stuff all. the. time.  So my next step was an amber teething necklace.  Amber is really fascinating - it contains a naturally-occurring substance called succinic acid that is released from the stone when heated, such as when in contact with body heat.  It's a natural pain-reliever (as well as providing many other benefits), which is why it helps ease the pain of teething.  Seems like he's been a much happier kid since he's been wearing it!

He looks like a little jungle baby with his camo diaper and amber beads!

It was also time to start thinking about solids.  Usually it's recommended to wait until after baby is 6 months of age, but Elliot was showing signs of being ready to delve into the world of solids.  Here are some signs that show readiness, taken from Kellymom.com:

• Baby can sit up well without support.
• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby is ready and willing to chew.
• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

He hit these marks at 5 and a half months, plus his first tooth broke through, and our naturopathic pediatrician agreed we could start trying solids.  So he got some homemade sweet potatoes and loved them.

He loved everything we gave him, especially bananas.  We've been trying all sorts of foods both homemade and store-bought, and he's been a happy little eater.  Then came some possible TMJ (jaw) issues, and nursing became a chore, as did bottle feeding.  He's got an appointment with the chiropractor to help sort that out tomorrow, but in the meantime he hasn't been nursing well.  Which led to his system getting a bit backed up.

He strained and strained and grunted and cried to poop, and when he finally did it was hard little rabbit poops that definitely showed I was right, he was backed up.  Sometimes he'd strain and grunt and push and nothing would come out at all.  Poor guy.

I've been limiting my use of essential oils, which I will explain why in a future post, so I tried bicycling his legs and rubbing his tummy.  I also tried homeopathic Nux Vomica.  I fed him some prunes too.  Nothing seemed to be getting things moving and I was getting concerned - having a backed-up digestive tract can cause some problems systemically and I did not want that!

Finally I remembered how effective reflexology can be.  I had even taken a class on it and got to see how beneficial it is.  I found a great video on YouTube for constipation in babies (here it is, check it out!) and followed the instructions.  He wasn't real happy about that - the thing with reflexology is that each point on your foot corresponds with an organ or part of your body.  If an organ or part of your body isn't functioning at its best, that corresponding point on your foot will hurt, or will also have little bumps or "grittiness" in the muscle tissue.  I rubbed his feet and he squirmed and cried (and I felt bad), but after I complete one circuit he farted!  I was impressed just by that, but shortly after I was impressed even more as I made another circuit around his feet and he grunted and pushed and finally made progress!  Off to change his diaper I went in total amazement.  I rubbed his feet again and he didn't cry as much - I guess it was feeling better.  I did that on and off throughout the day until finally his BMs were coming more frequently and normal-looking.  He pooped all day and didn't have to strain anymore at all.  Needless to say he was definitely a happy baby after that!  And I was a very impressed, happy mama!

Now here I am taking advantage of Elliot finally sleeping normally again, which was another benefit of all this - teething pain gone, tummy trouble resolved, all that good stuff.  Maybe, with any luck, I can get back to normal blogging!  (Ha ha ha...)

It's so awesome to be able to help my kids naturally.  I helped get his little system moving again without using any drugs.  I helped relieve his teething pain without any conventional pain-killers.  I was able to tap into resources of plant-based medicine - the original medicine - and ancient wisdom to help heal my kid.  That's a really awesome feeling.  I hope this inspires you to do the same!

Happy Baby!

Confessions of a Human and New Year's Wishes

I can't believe I haven't posted ANYTHING for a whole MONTH.  It's been a crazy busy month, though.  To the point where I haven't really been able to make time to sit and write.  We hosted two Christmas gatherings plus New Year's Eve, so the month has been spent catching up on little projects around the house plus decorating, gift shopping, all that jazz.  I attempted to make cookies and candies but for some reason they didn't turn out... I wasted a lot of ingredients in the process too, which was a total bummer.  I made chocolate covered peanut butter balls, though, and they were a success - I'll try to post that recipe before Valentine's day, if you don't mind the wait!

I have so much to talk about, because so much has happened!  So hopefully this means a lot of exciting posts for 2015.  This past month I've learned more about essential oils, I'm about to acquire a salt room so that I can offer salt therapy at my office (awesome for respiratory ailments as well as skin conditions from minor to acute), I'm selling homemade soaps so I'm excited to tell you why those are better than store-bought, and I cured two earaches (never got them diagnosed as infections so I can't say that) and a case of pink eye using natural remedies!

To kick off the New Year, however, I decided to write a simple post admitting that I am human, just like everyone else.  The only thing I've succeeded at this past month is sticking to my drug-free way of life - no pharmaceuticals were used to treat any ailments we came across, including the two ear aches and pink eye mentioned above, a furiously teething baby, several sore throats, coughs, runny noses, etc., plus a case of sciatica that decided to randomly revisit me (hadn't had to deal with that since my pregnancy with Harlee...).

I wish other areas of my life were as second-nature to me as avoiding conventional medicines.  Like diet and exercise.

I have a confession to make.  I've been experiencing a growing case of burn-out...  I stopped going to Flex sometime in November, because I could feel it coming on and didn't want to force myself to do something I was slowly losing interest in - I do NOT want to lose interest in CrossFit!!  It changed my life, it's a fun and effective way to burn fat and build strength, and it makes me feel good both physically and mentally.  But I've been doing a lot of the same thing, and because of the weather I'm now confined to a spot in my basement rather than being outside.  I look forward to Sundays when Rachael and Cassie come over, because working out in a group setting still keeps me going and I thoroughly enjoy it just like I always used to.  But, I must say, I'm becoming more and more amazed that I did what I did while pregnant.  I'll crank out 20 burpees without stopping and imagine having a big pregnant belly hanging off of me while doing that.  I did that.  I push-pressed 95lbs of weight over my head WHILE in labor.  I did that.

And now I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I don't even feel like push-pressing a bar over my head.  Or cranking out one burpee.  Okay okay, who wants to do burpees anyway, really?  But they're a great form of exercise and I like working them into a WOD under normal circumstances... What's happening to me??

And diet.  Oooohhh have I fallen off of the Paleo wagon...  I try not to beat myself up TOO bad - I mean at least one meal every day has managed to stay completely Paleo.  But I think snacking on candy all day, or loading up on carbs the many times we've gone out to eat, and the way-too-frequent trips through drive-throughs we've made, completely negates that one Paleo meal a day.  Added to the fact that I haven't been working out anymore to burn some of that junk off... well...

Yeah.  That's pretty much me.  I look in the mirror and TRYYY so hard to say, yeah, I look good for being 5 months postpartum!  Because in comparison to 5 months after Harlee was born, I look pretty good!  But when I look at pictures of myself at just a couple months postpartum after having Elliot and see that I look BETTER than I do now... that's just sad.

But it's not just about physical appearance.  I know that's a big thing right now - social media is trying to help people feel better about themselves no matter what kind of body they have and stop comparing ourselves to photoshopped celebrities in magazines, which is awesome, and I do want to focus more on my health and well-being rather than just my appearance , but regardless, physical appearance does play a huge role.  I don't expect to look like a photoshopped celebrity.  I don't want to, anyway.  I'm perfectly fine with the stretch marks on my belly.  I'm perfectly fine with my droopy boobs.  Why?  Because I worked my ass off a couple summers ago and I felt REALLY good about myself and my appearance.  I know what I CAN look like, and I was almost back to that just a couple of months after Elliot was born.  And because of all the crap I ate this past month and my lack of exercise, I'm losing my progress.

And I feel like crap.  I've been tired and sluggish, I've needed to get back on St. John's wort to help manage my moods when normally diet and exercise do that for me, and I've been noticing aches and pains creeping in - my knees have ached, I had a sciatica flare-up, my wrists have been sore, and some days I've just felt sore and achy all over.  I know it's because of the junk I've eaten.

I guess it's a good reminder of how much diet really does affect us.  We are what we eat.  If we eat junk, we'll feel and function like junk.

So, I'm going to challenge myself.  The holiday celebrations are finally behind us, so there's no reason for me not to get back on the Paleo wagon.  I'm going to experiment with different things, like meal prep so I have lunches pre-made for me throughout the week, and menu-planning so dinner is thought out ahead of time.  I need to go back through and flush the house out of junk food.  I'm a chocoholic, there's no hiding it.  I just need to manage it a little better.  I'm sure I'll still grab a pack of peanut M&M's when I swing through a gas station, but I don't need a bowl of them sitting on my counter to eat every. single. day.  And I need to remind myself that it takes work to get rid of the cravings, but eventually they will go away.

I'll share my stories as I go, too, so maybe you'll feel inspired to try simple things to make your lifestyle a bit healthier.  Mainly, though, don't beat yourself up if you slip up.  That's what I've been working on.  I'm trying not to be too angry with myself for being a complete slob with my diet and exercise all month.  I know I can get back on track, and I will.  And so can you!  We all have to start somewhere.

So, it's a new year.  Time to hit the reset button and strive to be better than we were the year before.

Before I sign off, I have a few New Year's wishes for you.

I wish you motivation to try something new to get your body moving - join a gym, buy a new piece of exercise equipment - kettlebell, dumbells, jump rope, or even a hula hoop! (I bought one and it's actually a blast!)  Try something you haven't tried before - running, weight lifting, spinning, skiing, whatever!  Find something you enjoy so you'll stick with it.

I wish you creativity to make healthy eating just as delicious and achievable as eating junk food.  And it truly can be!  Stick with that, and eventually healthy foods will taste even better than drive-through or take-out food.  And learn ways to plan ahead, like I have been, so you'll be prepared on busy days.

Last, but not least, I wish you courage to ask questions.  This is something I'm wanting to delve into more in future blog posts.  Take responsibility for your health and the health of your family.  Don't rely solely on what you're told by doctors or healthcare providers.  Take charge of your body.  Take time to learn more about ways to be healthy.  With that knowledge comes great empowerment, knowing that you can heal yourself or your loved ones and not need to run to a doctor for every little thing.  When I healed Harlee's earaches and cured Elliot's pink eye without once having to consult a doctor - that's an awesome feeling.

Ask questions.  It can get you so much farther ahead than where you ever were before.  Before you pick up a drug from the pharmacy - What is in this?  What are the side effects?  Are there safer alternatives?  Before you agree to get on a prescription - How long am going to have to take this?  Is this drug just masking the symptoms of a problem rather than addressing it?  Or if it's controlling a problem, are there healthier ways I can control it on my own?  Blood pressure or cholesterol, for instance, CAN be controlled by diet and exercise.  You do not need to rely on drugs, and you'll be that much better off if you avoid them.  And before you or your children get a shot - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the package inserts.  They should be given to you at the office, but can also be found on the CDC or FDA websites.  Don't just get a shot because you're told to, because everyone else does it, because of the fear tactics used to make you blindly do it without question - read the ingredients of what you're injecting into you or your child's body.  Read the possible side effects.  Sometimes side effects include seizures, paralysis, even death.  Ask your doctor to look you square in the eye and promise your child won't experience any of those side effects before you agree to anything.  This is something I'll talk more about in a later post, but I at least want to put the thoughts out there, to encourage you to take your health into your own hands and advocate for yourself because your health is, well, YOURS.

I hope to spend more time blogging this year, I have so much to say and share with you.  But I also have a family to care for and spend time with, a business to run and grow, and a new house that still needs its finishing touches, so be patient with me if I slack a bit...

I hope your year is off to a great start!