Tag Archives: food

I’m Dreaming of A White (Chocolate Peppermint Shake) Christmas

Posted in AdvoCare, Food, Health, Paleo, Recipes, The Life by

*UPDATE 11-18-2015: THEY’RE BACK!!!

Say it with me, 'YUM!'

Say it with me, ‘YUM!’

Just imagine I was tech savvy enough to have this song playing throughout your time on this post, knew how to make snowflakes fall delicately across the page, and had a nice log burning fire going to keep you toasty and warm as you read…

AdvoCare has just released their limited time Holiday White Chocolate Peppermint Meal Replacement Shakes and I know I have found my new favorite replacement for breakfast…and lunch…and dinner 😀 (Although I haven’t found a flavor of Meal Replacement Shakes that I didn’t love and with a 40% discount, who says I have to pick favorites?) For anyone that has had the Meal Replacement Shakes before, you know they taste even better than they sound! When it comes to the Holiday flavors, James and I don’t mess around and stock up on them before they quickly sell out! I have experimented with different baking recipes to see if there is any way I could top the regular ol’ shake forms and found a handful of other ways to use them in delicious treats. Several of my friends inspired me to give this recipe a whirl:

I had seen the recipe for Muscle Gain Ice Cream a while back and had intended on trying it out before the weather cooled off, but totally forgot! (Thanks a lot Pregnancy Brain!) James had a day off from work recently, so we decided ice cream for breakfast was just what the doctor ordered. All I can say is, Ah-mah-zing! Super easy to do and SO delicious. I originally tried it with the Holiday Pumpkin Spice flavor and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be making this with the newest flavor.

White Chocolate Peppermint ice cream that’s healthy? Yes, Please! You’ll have to try it for yourself! 🙂

White Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream:

  • 1 blender bottle with whisk ball (or medium sized bowl with standard whisk if you don’t have a blender bottle)
  • 1 gallon sized plastic bag filled 1/2 way with ice
  • Approximately 1/2 cup of ice cream salt (or regular salt if you don’t have ice cream salt)
  • 1 quart size plastic bag
  • 1 cup almond milk (or whatever your milk of choice is)
  • 1 White Chocolate Peppermint Meal Replacement Shake
  • Handful (or more 😉 ) of Mini Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
  • Optional: ingredients to mix in ice cream or for toppings

Instructions:

  1. In the blender bottle or bowl if you don’t have a bottle, mix the milk, Meal Replacement Shake, and any other liquid or powder ingredients you’ve chosen.
  2. Pour contents of blender bottle/bowl into quart size plastic bag, remove as much air as possible from bag, and seal tightly.
  3. Add salt to gallon sized bag with ice
  4. Place quart sized bag into the gallon sized bag, remove air from bag, and seal tightly.
  5. Optional: Wrap the bag in a kitchen towel to keep your hands from turning into ice cubes 😉
  6. Shake, shake, shake! (the gallon bag around for 5-10 minutes.)
  7. Remove quart sized bag from gallon bag and quickly rinse off any salt from exterior of bag in cold water…unless you like really salty ice cream.
  8. Place your ice cream in a bowl, add toppings, and enjoy! 😛

If you were one of the smart/fortunate ones who ordered the Pumpkin Spice Shakes before they sold out, you’ll love this one too!

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream:

  • 1 blender bottle with whisk ball (or medium sized bowl with standard whisk if you don’t have a blender bottle)
  • 1 gallon sized plastic bag filled 1/2 way with ice
  • Approximately 1/2 cup of ice cream salt (or regular salt if you don’t have ice cream salt)
  • 1 quart size plastic bag
  • 1 cup almond milk (or whatever your milk of choice is)
  • 1 Meal Replacement Shake
  • Optional: ingredients to mix in ice cream or for toppings

Instructions:

  1. In the blender bottle or bowl if you don’t have a bottle, mix the milk, Meal Replacement Shake, and any other liquid or powder ingredients you’ve chosen.
  2. Pour contents of blender bottle/bowl into quart size plastic bag, remove as much air as possible from bag, and seal tightly.
  3. Add salt to gallon sized bag with ice
  4. Place quart sized bag into the gallon sized bag, remove air from bag, and seal tightly.
  5. Optional: Wrap the bag in a kitchen towel to keep your hands from turning into ice cubes 😉
  6. Shake, shake, shake! (the gallon bag around for 5-10 minutes.)
  7. Remove quart sized bag from gallon bag and quickly rinse off any salt from exterior of bag in cold water…unless you like really salty ice cream.
  8. Place your ice cream in a bowl, add toppings, and enjoy! 😛
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream!

The finished product: Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream with added Pecans!

I used Hint of Honey Vanilla Almond Milk in the shake and sprinkled chopped pecans as my topping. YUM!

Although James loves the Pumpkin Spice shakes, he is a chocolate ice cream guy through and through. He decided to go with Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream for dessert breakfast. He then proceeded to add more Mini Enjoy Life chocolate chips as toppings, but when your ice cream is only 260 calories and packed with 22 grams of protein, I’d say it evens out. 😉

James’s Ingredients included:

James's yummy ice cream!

James’s yummy ice cream!

We will definitely be making this recipe again in the near future!

Baked Coconut Chicken Nuggets

Posted in AdvoCare, Cooking, Food, Health, Paleo, Recipes, The 24-Day Challenge by

One thing that I have really come to appreciate as I’ve matured into my mid-twenties is discovering my passions. Some have been slower to develop than others, but one passion that just feeds my soul is cooking. (Try telling me I’m not your punniest friend) It wasn’t until I moved to Baton Rouge that I really began to experiment with cooking and fell in love. Don’t get me wrong, Louisiana has some of the BEST food you’ll find in the U.S. of A., but when it comes to healthy eats it doesn’t quite take first place. As I became more aware of what I was putting into my body I realized I had the most control over my health in the kitchen. And so, I began to cook. I definitely have a long way to go, but I’ve been testing out my skills cooking for James (Shoutout to the best guinea pig er, husband out there) and he has yet to find a recipe that I’ve prepared that he doesn’t like. Say it with me, winning!

One of the very first recipes I prepared after we got engaged was this Baked Coconut Chicken recipe, adapted from paleodietmentor.

I’m a sucker for flavorful, but relatively simple paleo versions of some of my old favorites. This recipe fit the bill and has since become a staple in our house. Here is my James approved and 24 Day Challenge friendly version:

BAKED COCONUT CHICKEN NUGGETS

  •  1lb. boneless, skinless, hormone-free Chicken breastsPaleo Chicken Nuggets
  • 1/2 cup almond flour/meal
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • *1/2 tsp paprika
  • *1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • coconut oil
  • cutting board
  • pan/cookie sheet with foil

*Depending on my tastes for the day I will swap out the paprika for cinnamon as a fun/sweeter twist.

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a bowl or on a large plate combine almond flour, shredded coconut, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper.
  3. In a separate bowl beat egg well.
  4. Cut chicken breasts into 2 inch ‘nuggets’ then dip into bowl with egg until well coated.
  5. Roll chicken nuggets into dry ingredient mixture, coating all sides evenly.
  6. Coat pan with coconut oil, or lightly coat cookie sheet with coconut oil.
  7. Place chicken on pan and bake for 25 minutes, watching for them to turn golden.

That’s about it! I serve these bad boys with honey, organic dijon mustard, or organic ketchup, but the sauce is up to you.

Enjoy!