NEW BLOG LOCATION

Hey y'all thank you so much for your patience with my lack of posting over the last few months. I've been working on many projects, and one of them was my NEW BLOG!
I'm so happy to announce that I'll be completely converting over to this bigger and brighter location. It's absolutely gorgeous and I hope you follow me over there :)



Here's the link!

Autumnal Fresh Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Another sweet recipe!
Have you ever found yourself tasting a new recipe and realizing to your disappointment that it didn't live up to what you expected it to taste like? It wasn't necessarily BAD, but it wasn't anything to jump over either. Well last year I found a recipe for Fresh Apple Cinnamon Muffins and got SUPER EXCITED because they literally looked like what I hoped autumn would TASTE like, but to my dismay they tasted rather bland.

However, I played with the recipe a bunch, and am proud to present my redefined recipe for Fresh Apple Cinnamon Muffins that I actually DO really love eating.

These babies make your house smell AMAZING and they taste like fall food to me, and I absolutely adore making them. I made a batch for my boyfriend last week as a surprise breakfast and he loved them!

I included the original ingredient below just to show you the changes I made.

The ORIGINAL RECIPE CALLED FOR:

(I underlined everything I changed)

1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) melted butter

1/3 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

As you can see from my underlining everywhere I changed the original recipe quite a bit, and I even added some vanilla for some extra flavor. 

Alright so for MY recipe you're going to need:

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar (you could also try brown sugar. I haven't tried that yet but I've been considering it. Let me know how it turns out)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup half and half or whole milk (I used half and half)
• 1 and 1/2 medium to large apples (the recipe tastes weird if you don't have enough apple), chopped into small CHUNKS (the previous recipe called for finely chopped)
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) melted butter
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (this measurement is rough. Kinda like when you measure out chocolate chips for cookie dough. You're going to want a fair amount of nuts stirred into your batter, and then you're going to need about 1/4 cup extra to go on top of the muffins in the end, so just have a bag of nuts on hand to experiment with until you find what you like)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Makes: roughly 17 (used to make 12 but when I changed ingredients it screwed up the yield)

Cook time: 15-20 min (for me it only takes 15-16 minutes to bake these because I use a convection oven)

• Preheat oven to 375
• Line 1 and 1/2 cupcake/muffin tins with paper liners
• Peel and chop apples (this time I used 1 large apple and 1 small apple instead of 1/5 large)
• In a small bowl combine brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Adjust pecan amount to desire
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, salt, and APPROXIMATELY 1/2 cup pecans
• Whisk with a fork and add more pecans if necessary
• In a medium bowl, beat together the egg and half and half (or whole milk. I like to whip this until it's frothy but not thick
• Stir in chopped apple, and melted butter
• Add dry ingredients all at once (the original recipe calls for you to add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients but that took too much work and didn't taste any different)
• Stir until just mixed
• Scoop into muffin tins filling each cup about 2/3 full, and use a spoon to top off each muffin with a sprinkle of the cinnamon-brown-sugar-pecan topping
• Bake and enjoy :)

Let me know in the comments if you tried and enjoyed this recipe! Happy autumn to you all :)

Whipped Vanilla Cream Cake Frosting

This is a recipe that's been in my family for generations and generations. It's not in the least healthy, and it's also not an easy recipe to make so to all you baking wizards- this one's for you.

I decided to post it on my blog because Saturday was my mom's birthday and as a treat I made her cupcakes with this frosting, just like her mom used to make for her. I had to go dig out the recipe from her box on the top shelf of the pantry (we RARELY use paper-copy recipes anymore) and wowza was the handwriting tough to read.

It's unbelievably inconvenient to have such an important recipe exist on paper, in one person's house, in one recipe book. It's easy to lose, and the handwriting is a lot tougher to read than digital print. So better now than never- I bring you the family famous whipped vanilla cream cake frosting.

It doesn't actually have a name, but I don't know how else to describe it to you. It's soft and buttery and creamy and SO UNBELIEVABLY LIGHT. I've made it for friends before and asked them to describe it and they couldn't. Some people said it tasted creamy like milk, but had a hint of vanilla. Others just didn't have an answer. It's like whipped cream, except not at all. I don't know. You have to try it.

For my family this frosting ALWAYS goes on red velvet cake, but you can put it wherever you want. I know that the trend these days is to use cream cheese frosting on red velvet and if you try something else you're crazy, but I can honestly say that I like this frosting BETTER.

Awhile ago they did a cream cheese vs whipped vanilla frosting on red velvet cake bake-off on Food Network. That's how close a call these two recipes come.

What you're going to need:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup white flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup crisco
• 1 stick margarine (the recipe WILL NOT taste right if you don't use Blue Bonnet margarine. I don't know why, but my entire family swears by it for this recipe and this recipe only.)
• 2 tbsp vanilla (but be prepared to add more)

This is what the original recipe looks like, but the instructions weren't as explicit as I would have liked so I played around a bit with the recipe, and found my interpretation of it. Hopefully my instructions are much easier to interpret.

Makes: enough to frost one round cake or approximately 24 cupcakes

Cook time: Approximately 60 minutes (varies depending on how fast the frosting sauce cools)

• In a saucepan, combine the flour, milk, pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of the margarine listed in the ingredients. 
• Starting on low heat, stir sauce constantly (I used a whisk) as ingredients combine and melt together, and gradually increase heat to a maximum of medium (my max heat ended up being level 4). Stir heated sauce until thickened. It will be obvious when the sauce gets thick
• Turn off the stove and stick the saucepan containing the thickened white sauce in the fridge to cool. You need room temperature sauce for the next step. The sauce should take approximately 30 minutes to cool, and you should stir it approximately every 5-10 minutes to speed up the process.
• While the sauce is cooling, cream the crisco, the remaining margarine, sugar, and the vanilla in a mixer.
• When sauce is room temperature pour it into the creamed sugar mixture, and beat on high until fluffy. This will take longer than you expect. (It will take no time at all to turn into a fluffy-ish mixture but don't be fooled. If you end the process there your frosting will turn limp and runny when you go to frost the cake. I don't know for SURE but I don't think it's even POSSIBLE to over beat this frosting. Just whip it for like 3-5 minutes minimum).
• As you whip the frosting, be sure to pause every now and then to check the mixture to see if it's reached desired consistency. When you do this, also taste test it to see if it has enough vanilla flavoring. Liberally add more vanilla when needed. I've ended up doubling the vanilla before, but I didn't make that official in the recipe because it's all about the individual batch.
• When the frosting reaches the desired fluffiness you may spread it onto your cake/cupcakes or scoop it into a bag to pipe it onto your cake/cupcakes.
• Enjoy!

The frosting is usually fluffiest the day you make it. Each day following it loses its special lightness just a bit more. 

My family uses this recipe for EVERYTHING. Red velvet cake and this frosting are our birthday cakes, and our annual Christmas cake. If you ever muster up the courage to tackle this frosting project let me know how it tastes! It's literally my favorite. It will never get old.

When I make cupcakes with this recipe I put frosting on top AND in the middle as a creamy filling.

Grey and White Nails

I thought it was about time I did another nail art tutorial especially since the nail art I decided to do today was pretty simple.

I went with grey and white for simple elegance, and that modern playful look.

I took pics right after doing my nails, so if there's any paint on the edges of my fingers it's because I hadn't bothered to wash it off first.

For this design you're going to need:

• Clean nails
• White nail polish
• Grey nail polish
• Opaque tape
• Scissors
• A tooth pick, or dot applicator
• A piece of nonabsorbent material (I like to use a small ziplock bag because plastic works the best and it's cheap and disposable)
• Optional Q-Tip and nail polish remover to clean up the edges of your fingers and finish it off with a clean, professional look (showering will also take off excess nail polish- on your skin- after your nails have dried. That's a trick I use all the time)

The colors I used today:

• Snow me white by Sinful Colors 
• A whitened grey by Covergirl (couldn't find it online so I can't link it- I bought it back when having grey nails was in style)

Yes there is a finger print of grey on the top of my bottle. I use my nail polishes frequently so unfortunately most of them aren't very pretty looking as I work with messy hands quite often. Sorry it wasn't prepped and photo-ready.

1. Paint all of your nails except for your ring fingers white
2. Paint your ring fingers grey
3. Allow polish to dry COMPLETELY (I actually waited an entire day, and just enjoyed plain nails yesterday before coming back to decorate them today)
4. Cut the opaque tape into small slivers and place on grey ring finger nails forming arrows that look like they're point upward. If you're confused there's a picture below. Make sure to press the tape into the creases of the side of your nails so your top coat of polish won't get under the tape
5. Gently dab (dot) white nail polish into the non-tape-covered areas on your ring fingers. I find that if you paint over the nail like normal it tends to morph the shape too much when I remove the tape, and I like cleaner lines.
6. Gently peel the tape off while polish is still wet. Move slowly, and from the outside of your nail (on your skin) to the inside, pulling upward and away from the start. Try to maintain the shape that the tape should've created.
7. When all tape is removed, allow those nails to dry
8. Place a small dot of the grey nail polish on your plastic bag or nonabsorbent material of choice
9. Dip your toothpick or nail dot creator utensil into the grey polish dot, gathering enough polish on the tip so that you won't have to touch the toothpick to your nail to create a dot. (if your toothpick touches your nail it will create a less desirable dot. I find that it's best to get a ball of paint on your toothpick and lightly touch it to the nail so that the pointy part of the toothpick doesn't end up in contact with your nail. This will give you a more professional and clean look)
10. Place dots evenly throughout nail, in an every-other-place staggered fashion (see picture if you're confused). This will give your polka dots consistency and the appearance of a professional manicure or even stick-on manicure. Basically it just makes you look like you know what you're doing if your dots are perfectly spaced rather than randomly done.
11. Allow to dry completely. Optional top coat (I didn't use a base or top coat today)

Plain nail polish

This is how your tape should look

Carefully dot the white onto the visible grey parts, doing your best to avoid the tape

This is the dot applicator I use. I have like 4 or 5, and each one has 2 different sized ends, so I have 8 or 10 different sizes of applicators. I do my nails A LOT. You can use a toothpick and it'll look the same. I did nails with no fancy tools for YEARS (until 7 months ago), so I don't want people to think that they need fancy nail polish or fancy nail brushes/dot tools to have perfect nails.

And this is the finished product!

Paleo Waffle Recipe

Even if you've chosen to eat healthy clean and paleo, you can still have fun with sweets and treats every once in awhile. "Clean cheating" is PERFECT because even though you shouldn't eat like this all the time, you don't have to feel guilty when you do. I know I personally miss waffles a lot, so I decided to experiment with some paleo waffles for those mornings when you need a little something extra to brighten your day.

Alright so these kind-of have the appearance of whole grain waffles, or something gross like that but they're actually CHOCOLATE waffles because I found some 62% dark chocolate (dairy free and organic) in my pantry and decided to give it a whirl. In all honesty they LOOKED plenty chocolaty when I made them, but didn't taste very chocolatey at all so if you want to be healthier you can skip that step entirely. OR if you want to be unhealthier you can add MORE chocolate than I did (I only used 2 squares of the bar). OR if you're feeling crafty you can try throwing some chocolate protein powder into the blender. If you do, let me know how it turns out. I think I'll be trying that next time.

For this recipe you're going to need:

• 8 eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• optional dark chocolate (I grated mine with a cheese grater to mix it in to the batter, but it was a lot of work, and didn't taste very strong so I think I'll stick to protein powder in future trials) or chocolate protein powder
• Coconut oil to cook with

You could also use vanilla protein powder and drop blueberries into the waffle iron before baking. Ooooooooh :)

You also need a blender.

Prep time: 5min

Bake time: Varies depending on size of waffle iron. My waffles took approximately 5min each.

Makes: Approximately 6, but you can make 8 if you have a smaller waffle iron

• Preheat your waffle iron
• Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and somewhat frothy (this only takes a minute or two max)
• Coat the iron lightly with coconut oil. I like to spoon some out of the jar, and drop it onto the hot iron while it's a solid, because it's easier for me to spread around when it's not pre-melted. Just personal preference
• Pour waffle batter into iron, adjusting amount for desired thickness. I liked my waffles pretty thin because they took less time to cook, and were chewy instead of soggy
• Cook until done. It's kind of hard to tell when they're golden brown, so I poke my waffles with my finger when I check them to see if they're soft and spongy, or if they need to cook longer. I don't know if that's smart or not, but I work in fine dining so I'm used to touching hot things. Make good choices :)

 This is the finished product for me. I tried some plain, and they taste very good. Vaguely of banana. Great results for such a simple recipe- will definitely be doing this again!

As I said above I tried to make mine chocolate, but it didn't taste like anything so I ended up spreading mine with a no-sugar-added (and chemical/sugar supplement free) dark cherry spread. That was DELICIOUS. My younger sister is a rather picky eater, but even she enjoyed these.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 150
Fat (g): 8.3
Carbs (g): 12.3
Protein (g): 7.9
*Protein (g) 25.9

*Protein if you added 1 scoop of either chocolate or vanilla protein powder

The fat is from the eggs, the carbs are from the bananas. If you're looking for a more protein-dense breakfast I recommend adding a scoop of either vanilla or chocolate protein powder to the waffles for sure. If you do that you will consume approximately 18g protein more per waffle, which makes this a PERFECT breakfast for athletes and bodybuilders. Great source of carbs and protein. Not bad for a clean cheat :)

Compare to nutrition facts in a Bisquick Belgian Waffle:
Calories: 360
Fat (g): 18
Carbs (g): 39
Protein (g): 9

STEP BY STEP PALEO For A Week

I knew throwing out the paleo challenge idea wouldn't be too popular if I didn't provide you with a way to ease into it. Throwing away your pasta, ice cream, and oreos isn't going to be easy, but having a step by step plan for your first seven days (the hardest part) will help a lot. If your excuse before was: "I don't want to plan out meals!" you're stuck now.

If you're beginning the 30 day paleo challenge I highly recommend following my carefully laid out plan for your fist seven days. After that, you will hopefully have a feel for what you should and should not be putting into your body. If you STILL don't have the hang of things after these seven days, you can always repeat this for one more week or until you get the swing of things.

Your Grocery List:
(Overshoot slightly on each grocery item just in case I accidentally left something out. I double-checked, but I'm human, and humans make mistakes. I'm sorry in advance if I did screw up)

(Also: most things below are listed in the measurements one would use in a recipe, not in packaging sizes. Do your best to eyeball confusing amounts when purchasing your groceries. Nobody is perfect.)

Produce:

• 14 eggs (buy 1 and 1/4 dozen if possible. if not, buy 1 and 1/2)

Meat and fish:

• 14 pieces turkey sausage (check the ingredients list. if there are ANY words you can't pronounce, or obvious chemicals/preservatives/unnecessary seasonings you CANNOT consume it. try again.)
• 2 frozen tuna steaks
• 1 single serving frozen salmon
• 3 skinless boneless frozen chicken breasts
• 2 pork chops
• 1 small package hamburger meat

Fruit:

• 7 medium apples
• 3 or 4 lemons
• 5 or 6 cups blueberries
• 7 cups blackberries
• 5 cups raspberries
• 4 medium bananas
• 1 lime
• 1 orange

Vegetables:

• 42 carrot sticks (ballpark it when buying packages. always try and buy organic carrots. non-organic are soaked in chemicals for their bright orange color)
• 4 cups raw broccoli
• 28 4" celery sticks
• 10 cups spinach
• 5 cups cherry tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• 2 garlic bulbs
• 2 onions
• OPTIONAL: 2 medium gold potatoes (see day 7's lunch for "optional" explanation. if you choose not to consume the potatoes, you will need 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock instead)

Frozen:

• 12 cups frozen broccoli (4 bags of 4 cups each) 
• 4 cups frozen mango chunks (if you don't like mangoes, you can sub with frozen sliced peaches)

Nuts:

• 1 cup roasted (and unsalted) almonds

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DAY 1:

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water

Lunch: 1 tuna steak (thaw it, squeeze lemon juice on it, salt it lightly, and bake it in the oven), 2 cups steamed broccoli (the only NON frozen broccoli you will be consuming this week is day 7's lunch, so be prepared to make a lot of steamed broccoli), 1 cup blueberries

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup blackberries, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: 1 chicken breast grilled or cooked in no oils/butter, 2 cups spinach, 1 cup cherry tomatoes (eat it like a salad! If you need a dressing add a small drizzle of olive oil, but keep it SMALL). 1 cup raspberries, and 1 medium banana

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Abs and cardio
It's tough but you can do it! I have faith in you!

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

Congrats! You survived day one!

Now onto...

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DAY 2:

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water -this is flushing your system!

Lunch: Chicken spinach avocado salad (getting used to eating weird things yet?). Grill up 1 frozen chicken breast, season with lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cube, and toss with 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, and 1/2 mashed avocado seasoned lightly with lime juice.

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup blackberries, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: 1 grilled pork chop (without fat), seasoned LIGHTLY with salt, pepper, and garlic, 2 cups steamed broccoli, and 1 cup blueberries

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Upper body, and yoga
The upper body workout is great, but the quality of the video isn't prime so I recommend blasting some upbeat motivational workout music while you do it. The narrator is kind of monotonous, and the last thing you want is a lame workout. PUSH THROUGH!

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

Congrats on surviving day 2! At this point you're probably noticing that you have to pee- A LOT. That's good. We're pushing all of the toxins out of your body. By the end of your 30 day challenge you will feel clean, healthy, and refreshed. Your body will be more toned than you expected, and you'll be sleeping better. You should start to see results at the end of day 7! If you're bloating a lot don't worry, BLOATING IS NORMAL. It will take a few weeks for your body to get used to your diet change. Do not give up.
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DAY 3:

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water -this is flushing your system!

Lunch: 1 tuna steak (thaw it, squeeze lemon juice on it, salt it lightly, and bake it in the oven), 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1 cup blueberries

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup blackberries, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: 1 grilled or baked chicken breast, chopped, and tossed with 2 cups spinach, and 1 cup raspberries

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Legs and butt

If you lack motivation in your workout today just remember that 1. you're building a better booty, and 2. gaining muscle in your legs will help you burn fat in your tummy. You're welcome. Go all out for leg day! 

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

Keep going. You're doing great. There's no turning back now.

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DAY 4:

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water -this is flushing your system!

Lunch: Chicken spinach avocado salad (getting used to eating weird things yet?). Grill up 1 frozen chicken breast, season with lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cube, and toss with 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, and 1/2 mashed avocado seasoned lightly with lime juice.

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup blackberries, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: It's burger night!!! Take your packaged hamburger meat, combine it in a bowl with minced garlic and onions to taste, and roll into little sliders. Grill and eat with 2 cups of broccoli. You may add lettuce and tomato to the top of your little sliders if you need to spice them up, but you may NOT consume them with a bun, or with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, or mayo. I didn't include additional lettuce and tomato in the grocery list above because I don't want people to waste money on products they won't use, so keep that in mind when preparing your dinner.

Dessert: 2 cups frozen mango chunks! (if you eat them frozen they kinda taste like popsicles)

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Abs and cardio (yes, I know, I'm sorry. power through it though.)

You should be sore from your leg workout. If you're not, then you didn't work hard enough. Be sure to push yourself EVERY SINGLE workout because eating clean OR working out won't cut it. You have to do BOTH. It takes a lot of strength, and a lot of willpower, but the results are priceless. Go back to my original paleo blog post and stare at the picture of Robin for a moment. You want her abs? That's what I thought. PUSH PUSH PUSH!

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

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DAY 5:

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water -this is flushing your system!

Lunch: Fruit salad! Yummm. Toss 1 cup blueberries, 1 sliced banana, 1 cup raspberries, 1 cup blackberries, and 1 orange (peeled and sliced) in a bowl.

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup roasted almonds, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: 1 grilled pork chop (without fat), seasoned LIGHTLY with salt, pepper, and garlic, and 2 cups steamed broccoli

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Upper body, and yoga

"Mediocre isn't good enough."

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

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DAY 6:

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water -this is flushing your system!

Lunch: 1 grilled or baked chicken breast, chopped, and tossed with 2 cups spinach, and 1 cup raspberries

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup blackberries, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: Salmon (thaw it, squeeze lemon juice on it, salt it lightly, and bake it in the oven or grill it), 2 cups steamed broccoli, 1 cup blueberries, 1 banana

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Legs and butt

Tone that booty!!! Work those legs!!! "PAIN is WEAKNESS leaving the body."

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

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DAY 7:

THE END OF THE WEEK IS IN SIGHT!

Wake up: Drink 8oz water right away! I do this before my feet even hit the floor. It's a nice way to gradually wake yourself up, and get ready for the day.

Tiny workout: 20 calf raises. This will get your blood pumping! I do this while I brush my teeth.

Breakfast: 2 eggs, 2 pieces of turkey sausage, 1 medium apple, 6 carrot sticks

Drink: 16oz water -this is flushing your system!

Lunch: Cream of broccoli soup (we saved the best for last...) OKAY SO THIS RECIPE CONTAINS GOLD POTATOES. In a lot of people's book potatoes aren't paleo due to their starch content. I personally only eat sweet potatoes, and even so only in moderation. I will let you decide if you want to consume the gold potatoes or not. If you don't I have an alternate recipe. 

Even though the first recipe is labeled vegan and the second is labeled paleo I thought I'd list the first recipe first. Yes, it has potatoes in it, but potatoes are borderline paleo. After today you're going to be kicked out of the nest and thrown into the world of on-your-own paleo, and you need to decide for yourself where your boundaries lay. If you have no idea, I recommend researching why some paleo-eaters refuse potatoes ALWAYS, and why some are okay with an occasional potato. Giving you the potato or no potato choice will let you get a feel for what it's going to be like tomorrow when you don't have a step by step meal plan. Now is a good time to decide how strict you want to be about your paleo eating. 

Drink: 16oz water

Snack: 1 cup blackberries, 4 4" celery sticks

Dinner: 1 chicken breast grilled or cooked in no oils/butter, 2 cups spinach, 1 cup cherry tomatoes (eat it like a salad! If you need a dressing add a small drizzle of olive oil, but keep it SMALL). 1 cup raspberries, and 1 medium banana

Dessert: 2 cups frozen mango chunks! (if you eat them frozen they kinda taste like popsicles)

Drink: 8oz water

WORKOUT OF THE DAY: Abs and cardio
It's the last workout of the week so MAKE IT COUNT!

Before bed: Drink 1 glass of warm water with lemon. This is a colon cleanser!

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That's it! That's one week paleo done! If you're doing the challenge you only have 3.2 weeks to go!

SUMMARY OF THE WEEK:

-This last week you drank: 56 ounces of water per day, 392 ounces total

-Your workout split was: Abs and cardio, upper body, lower body, and you used at-home-friendly workouts to accomplish your athletic goals

-You have completely detoxed your body, leaving it clean of the chemicals found in processed foods and sodas

-You have survived a week of clean, paleo eating!

Take progress pics, weigh in, and continue the challenge!

Comment with any questions or concerns.

Inspired by Robin's Sweet Confessions.

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

For some reason today I was feeling very summery, and I wanted to create a fruit smoothie whose flavor could be described as "summer" or "vacation" or "tropical". Personally when I think tropical, what comes to mind is coconut, pineapple, mango- the works. On top of all that I've been really into incorporating a little extra protein in everything I eat... and here the challenge was born. Create a delicious, protein-rich fruit smoothie that TASTES LIKE AN ISLAND VACATION. Did I succeed? Let me know.

I also posted the nutrition facts below, just in case you're curious.

If you're interested in watching me make this smoothie, the link to my YouTube video is here.

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This is what you're going to need.

• 2/3 cup Naked protein mango juice
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 3/4 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 heaping serving of powdered fiber (okay holdup that ingredient is COMPLETELY optional. I unfortunately happen to have an extreme difficulty getting enough fiber even when I eat a diet bursting with fiber rich foods so I add fiber powder to my smoothies and juices all the time just to keep my digestion working. Yes, it makes me feel like a 90-year-old man. This step is completely optional, I actually DO NOT recommend following suit here because I have a fiber deficiency and you probably don't. I recommend skipping this step entirely- the only reason I included it in the recipe is 1. maybe you like very high fiber diets too and 2. it affects the nutrition facts I posted below. If you don't include the extra fiber here, subtract approximately 15 calories and 6 grams of fiber from your total nutrition facts. Okay continue.)
• 1/4 cup of water to dissolve the powdered fiber in BEFORE adding to your smoothie mix
• 1/2 cup cubed pineapple
• 1/2 cup frozen mango cubes
• 1 cup frozen peach slices

Prep time: 10-15min

Serves: 2

Basically what I do is I combine all of the non-frozen ingredients in the blender first, and then follow with the frozen ingredients to achieve a smooth, thick, creamy smoothie.

• Pour Naked protein mango juice, protein powder, and optional fiber dissolved in 1/4 cup water to blender
• Blend briefly to stir everything up. This will maintain the smooth texture of your smoothie
• Add the banana and pineapple chunks to the blender
• Blend briefly to combine
• Finally add in frozen mango and peach chunks and blend until all chunks are gone. Your smoothie should have a relatively thick, creamy consistency. If it is too thin for your liking, add a few more frozen peach or mango chunks. If it is too thick to pour you can either lightly tap the side of your blender as you pour it into a glass, or blend in a little bit of water to change the consistency.

When I've made it, no thickness adjustments were necessary.

Voila! You now have a very tropical, summery, island-tasting smoothie that is fantastically creamy and lovely for a hot summer day.

PRO TIP: If you want an island-tasting Popsicle (who doesn't?!) feel free to pour this recipe into Popsicle molds and freeze overnight. Tropical Popsicles would be a great treat for a hot summer night, or to bring to a pool party. Enjoy :)

I entered the ingredients into My Fitness Pal, and app that I've been using to keep track of my calories, macros, and nutrients. Below is a screenshot of the nutrition facts for this smoothie. Remember to subtract 15 calories and 6g of fiber if you did not include the additional fiber above. If you can't read the text in the picture because it is too small, I will type the highlights below.

Calories: 344

Fat (g): 0.7

Carbs (g): 69.8

Protein (g): 20

Potassium (mg): 478

Fiber (g): 10.8

Sugars (g): 41.8

Vitamin A (%): 47

Vitamin C (%): 313

Calcium (%): 9.2

Iron (%): 5.5

Now before you freak out about the sugar content in this smoothie, remember that the recipe makes approximately two full glasses. If you want to make one serving, you either need to cut the recipe in half, give one glass to a friend, or freeze the remaining in Popsicle form. I usually drink both glasses myself because I need the protein and fiber, and I am also NOT AFRAID OF SUGAR. All of the sugar in this smoothie comes from fruit, which means it is natural as opposed to process. Health nuts tend to stray from diets heavy in fruit because of their sugar content but that is simply not necessary. Is sugar in large quantities bad for you? Yes. Will eating a bunch of fruit kill you? No. Studies have actually shown that diets high in fruit are actually better for you.

I usually eat a high protein low carb diet, but you need carbs for energy and often don't get enough if you are an athlete. This smoothie is fantastic if you're eating too much protein and fat, because it will help you balance out your diet and keep your macros in line.

This smoothie is NOT PALEO, but if you substitute 2 tablespoons of unsweetened vanilla almond milk instead of the vanilla protein powder you can make this smoothie paleo-friendly.

This is a great breakfast on the go, and a fantastic summer treat. Be sure to let me know if you like it in the comments below.