Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops

Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops  (Advanced & Core Plan Approved)

                     Recipe:  Dr. Melissa Sell

Cake

½ Cup Coconut Flour                ½ Cup Xylitol (pulverized)

2TBS Psyllium Husk Powder      1 Tsp Stevia

¼ Tsp Sea Salt                         1 TBS Vanilla Extract

¼ Tsp Baking Soda                   ½ Cup Coconut Oil or Butter (melted)

6 Eggs                                      4 TBS Organic Pumpkin

1 TBS Cinnamon                        1 Tsp Nutmeg

Frosting

½ Bar Organic Cream Cheese     1 Tsp Cinnamon         1 TBS Organic Butter (softened)

¼ Cup Xylitol (pulverized)           1 Tsp Vanilla extract   Stevia (to taste)

Chocolate Coating

6 TBS Butter or Coconut Oil,       6 TBS Unsweetened Cocoa Powder   ¼ Cup Xylitol (pulverized)          

½ Tsp Sea Salt            Stevia to taste    1 Tsp Cinnamon     Dash of Nutmeg 

Thoroughly combine cake ingredients and bake 12 cupcakes at 350 for 22 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool and place in a large mixing bowl. Combine cupcakes with frosting 1 TBS at a time until cake sticks together (not too dry, not too sticky). Form cake/frosting mixture into small balls (about 3-4 TBS), place on parchment and cool in fridge for 1-2 hours. Melt chocolate coating over low and allow to cool down to room temp. Remove cake balls from fridge, dip one end of a lollipop stick into chocolate mix and insert into cake ball ¾ of the way. Spoon chocolate until cake pop is covered then insert stick into craft foam and place in fridge to cool!

Pigs in a Blanket

In my family it seemed like no holiday was complete without the appetizer of "lil' smokies" wrapped in crescent roll dough aka pigs in a blanket. I was looking for a fun, kid-friendly recipe for our monthly patient appreciation day at the office and stumbled upon a healthy version of this recipe on mariahealth.blogspot.com. 

Dough

1/2 cup Coconut Flour

2 Tbsp Psyllium Husk Powder

1/4 Tsp Seat Salt

1/4 cup grass fed organic butter

1 Cup boiling water

As a replacement for the unhealthy pork sausages I found these great breakfast link sausages made from organic chicken! I cut them in half and they were the perfect size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the coconut flour, psyllium husk powder and salt. Start boiling water and melt butter at the same time. Add melted butter to flour mix and stir continuously. Pour in boiling water while stirring the dough. Move quickly at this stage because the hot water begins to cook the dough. Pinch off 1 Tbsp sized pieces of dough, roll out and wrap sausage links. Place on a coconut oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until dough has puffed up and is golden on the bottom. 

Serve with mustard or core plan ketchup (recipe to come)!

Epigenetics

Most people today have been conditioned to believe that they are a victim to whatever genetics factors their parents have passed on to them.  However, there is an exciting field of biology called Epigenetics that is discovering that lifestyle factors actually play a larger role in overall health.  Join us at West Cobb Chiropractic on Thursday August 16th at 7pm for a free educational workshop that will give an introduction to this topic!

Chocolate Muffins

These muffins are great for breakfast or for snacking all throughout the day.  They are filled with good quality fats that will keep you full, but won't weigh you down OR spike your insulin levels like ordinary muffins. 

Another great thing about these muffins is that the basic recipe is very versatile. You can easily add in cinnamon, coconut almond/peanut butter, nut pieces, simply lite chocolate chunks etc. Enjoy!

Add all dry ingredients together in food processor.

2 cups walnuts
1/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup xylitol

Once mixed: add wet ingredients
4 free range eggs
½ cup melted grass fed butter
1tsp vanilla (I used 2 tsp)
½ cup water or almond milk (I used coconut milk)

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes

Raspberry Swirl

I was feeling creative and decided to jazz up the lemon tart with a lovely looking and delicious raspberry swirl! 

Here's how to do it:

After baking crust, pour in 3/4 of the filling and leave the remaining 1/4 in the blender. Add a half cup or so of frozen raspberries and 2 scoops of the super concentrated stevia and blend together. Pour in half dollar sized spots of raspberry filling in various locations of the tart and then take a knife and swirl the raspberry into the lemon!

Lemon Tart

This lemon tart is light, delicious and so easy to make!

Crust

1.5 Cups Almond Flour (I used the kind from Trader Joe's)

1/4 Cup Xylitol (pulverized)

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Thoroughly combine ingredients and pressed down into greased pie pan (with butter or coconut oil). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. 

Filling

1 Bar Organic Cream Cheese

2 Free Range Eggs

1/2+ Cup Lemon Juice (fresh or organic bottled)

1/4 Cup Xylitol (pulverized)

Zest of 1 Lemon

Blend cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and xylitol together the add eggs 1 at a time. At this point I will taste the filling to gauge the tart/sweet ratio and may add some more lemon juice or a dash of stevia to balance it out. Pour filling over baked crust and return to 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. The first time I made it I had to leave the house in a hurry and didn't have time to wait for it to cook enough for a knife to come out clean. I let it cool on the counter and then put it in the freezer. The texture turned out lovely so I recommend only baking for 15 minutes or so and then allowing it to chill. 

This tart is best right out of the freezer topped with fresh berries! 

Week 4 Meal Plan

Week 4 Meal Plan

• Groceries 
• 2.5lbs chicken
• 2lbs ground turkey
• 1lb grass fed beef
• 1 package uncured turkey bacon
• 2 cans wild caught salmon
• 1 dozen eggs 
• kale
• spinach
• green apples
• zucchini
• 2 red peppers
• green pepper
• celery
• onion
• coconut milk
• almond butter
• broccoli
• fresh berries
• green onion
• crushed organic tomatoes
• coconut flour
• marinara sauce
• avocado
• hummus
• cucumber
• salsa
• nuts: slivered almonds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, coconut flakes
• lemon
• black beans
• Monday

• B:
• green smoothie (1/2 apple, 1/2 can coconut milk, handful of kale & spinach, stevia to taste)
• S:
• handful cashews
• L:
• salad with hard boiled eggs
• D:
• curry spiced turkey burgers with sauteed zucchini and red peppers
• Tuesday
• B:
• 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil with slice of turkey bacon 
• S:
• apple with almond butter
• L:
• leftover turkey burgers with kale salad
• D:
• salmon cakes with steamed broccoli
• Wednesday
• B:
• bird seed cereal with fresh berries and coconut milk
• S:
• perfect protein shake 
• L:
• leftover salmon cakes with kale salad 
• D:
• chicken stir fry
• Thursday
• B:
• green smoothie
• S:
• handful of nuts and coconut flakes
• L:
• leftover chicken stir fry with kale salad 
• D:
• grass fed beef chili
• Friday
• B:
• 2 eggs with turkey bacon
• S:
• veggies with hummus
• L:
• leftover chili with kale
• D:
• chicken strips salad (dip chicken in egg and bread with coconut flour- fry in coconut oil) 
• Saturday:
• B:
• “bird seed” cereal with fresh berries and coconut milk
• S:
• apple with almond butter 
• L: 
• leftover chicken strips
• D:
• turkey meatballs with marinara with grilled veggies
• Sunday:
• B:
• tex mex breakfast- 2 scrambled eggs with avocado, turkey bacon and salsa
• S:
• handful nuts and coconut flakes
• L:
• leftover meatballs
• D:
• big salad with crumbled turkey bacon

"Bird Seed" Cereal

I used to LOVE cereal as a kid. A bowl of sweet, toasted and crunchy goodness with ice cold milk on top would just hit the spot. What I thought was "a part of a balanced breakfast" was actually an artificial and inflammatory mess of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Since beginning the Advanced Plan I'd written off all cereals until I found this mock cereal that tastes better than any processed cereal and is full of fiber, good fat and protein. I have jokingly dubbed it "Bird Seed" cereal.

In a large mason jar mix....
raw sunflower seeds
toasted flax seeds
raw slivered almonds
raw shelled hemp seeds


The toasted flax seeds give the cereal that delicious toasty taste and the other nuts and seeds add wonderful texture and crunch. Blend a can of full fat coconut milk with 5-7 ice cubes for icy cold milk to pour over your cereal. Top with a handful of fresh berries and sprinkle over a bit of stevia for a delicious and different breakfast!


Here is an article on the benefits of soaking nuts and seeds.

Week 3 Meal Plan

• Week 3 Meal Plan
• Groceries
• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1.5 lbs grass fed beef
• 2-4 wild caught salmon steaks
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 package uncured turkey bacon
• 1 dozen eggs
• 1 package organic cream cheese
• frozen berries
• almond butter
• coconut milk
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• kale
• 4 colored bell peppers *org
• 2 green bell peppers *org
• green apples
• Nuts: cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, walnuts etc.
• garlic cloves
• chicken stock
• fancy salmon ingredients:
• EVOO
• 2 shallots
• red wine vinegar
• tamari, braggs aminos or coconut aminos
• fresh lemon juice
• cayenne pepper
• fresh ginger
• cilantro
• raw cheese for pizza
• 1 can pizza sauce (no added sugar)
• 1 jar marinara sauce (no added sugar)
• 2 heads broccoli
• baby bok choy
• Asian fish sauce
• brown rice vinegar
• roasted valencia peanut butter 
• zucchini
• spinach
• coconut flakes
• 1 lb large strawberries
• almond flour
• stevia
• vanilla extract
• Monday
• B: 
• smoothie with almond butter, coconut milk and frozen berries
• S: 
• handful of nuts
• L:
• Large salad with 2 hard boiled eggs
• D:
• MLNP stuffed peppers made without brown rice
• Tuesday
• B:
• 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil with 2 pieces turkey bacon and fresh bell pepper slices
• S: 
• green apple
• L:
• leftover stuffed pepper with kale salad
• D:
• Special Valentines Day Dinner!
• appetizer: stuffed mushrooms 
• entree: MNLP Fancy Salmon
• dessert: strawberry cheesecake bites
• Wednesday
• B:
• "Bird Seed" cereal with coconut milk and frozen berries
• S:
• handful of nuts
• L:
• leftover salmon with kale salad
• D:
• chicken crust pizza
• Thursday:
• B:
• 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil with 2 pieces turkey bacon with fresh bell pepper slices
• S:
• green apple with almond butter
• L:
• leftover pizza (if there is any!) with kale salad
• D:
• chicken pad thai
• Friday:
• B:
• Perfect protein smoothie with berries and coconut milk
• S:
• coconut flakes and nuts
• L:
• leftover pad thai
• D:
• turkey meatballs with marinara and steamed broccoli 
• Saturday:
• B:
• "Bird Seed" cereal with coconut milk and berries
• S:
• green apple with almond butter
• L:
• leftover meatballs with salad
• D:
• Large salad with 2 hard boiled eggs and crumbled turkey bacon
• Sunday:
• B:
• Perfect protein shake and green apple
• S:
• coconut flakes and nuts
• L:
• 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil with 2 pieces turkey bacon with fresh bell pepper slices
• D:
• grilled chicken with sautéed greens 

Valentine's Day Treat

Looking for an Advanced Plan sweet to make for your Valentine on Tuesday? Try your hand at some divine homemade Almond Butter Cups! They are WAY easier to make than you might think.


Chocolate
1 stick organic grass fed butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp stevia
1/4 cup xylitol
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup almond butter (or valencia peanut butter)

Filling
1/4 cup perfect protein powder (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4-1 tsp stevia (your preference)
1 Tbls xylitol
1/3 cup almond butter (or valencia peanut butter)
2 Tbls butter, softened

For chocolate:
Melt butter over low heat in saucepan. Add cocoa, stevia, xylitol and salt while stirring well. Add almond/peanut butter stir well. Remove from heat.

For filling:
Combine protein powder, salt, stevia and xylitol. Separately combine butter with almond/peanut butter. Mix it all together.

Line muffin tin with cute valentine cupcake papers, spoon in enough chocolate to cover the bottom, add a dollop of the filling, then cover again with chocolate. Place in freezer until solid. Keep in freezer or refridgerator to prevent from melting.

Recipe makes 1 dozen cups

Week 2 Meal Plan

Week 2 Meal Plan

Groceries

• 2lbs organic chicken
• 1 package organic turkey bacon
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1.5 lbs grass fed beef
• 2 onions
• 1 large/2 small organic zucchini
• 1 large head broccoli
• 2-3 cans coconut milk
• red thai curry paste
• kale
• 2 red peppers
• 2 green peppers
• cucumber
• green onions
• 1 can water chestnuts
• fresh ginger root
• garlic
• bragg’s liquid aminos
• 1 container mushrooms
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• sesame oil
• brown rice vinegar
• 1 can black beans
• celery
• 1 can organic tomatoes or pasta sauce (no sugar)
• dozen eggs
• coconut flour
• green apples
• fresh or frozen berries
• avocado
• almond power bars
• raw almond butter
• raw almonds
• perfect protein
• flax seed meal
• shredded coconut
• stevia
• coconut oil
• Bird Seed Cereal
• raw sunflower seeds
• organic toasted flax seeds
• slivered almonds
• Monday
• B
• “Bird Seed” Cereal with coconut milk & berries
• S
• apple with almond butter
• L
• 2 eggs scrambled with turkey bacon 
• D
• organic red thai curry chicken (http://www.maximizedliving.com/Home/MaximizedLivingBlog/tabid/772/Article/220/organic-thai-red-curry-chicken.aspx)
• Tuesday
• B
• smoothie with coconut milk, berries, protein powder
• S
• almond power bar
• L
• Left over curry chicken over kale
• D
• Asian turkey lettuce wraps
• Wednesday
• B
• 2 eggs scrambled in butter over spinach
• S
• handful almonds
• L
• leftover turkey wraps 
• Dinner
• coconut flour crusted chicken with steamed broccoli
• Thursday
• B
• “Bird Seed” cereal with berries and coconut milk
• S
• almond power bar
• L
• leftover chicken with kale salad
• D
• turkey chili
• Friday
• B
• smoothie with berries, coconut milk, protein powder
• S
• apple with almond butter
• L
• leftover chili with kale salad
• D 
• 2 eggs with avocado and turkey bacon 
• Saturday
• B
• “Bird Seed” cereal with berries and coconut milk
• S
• almond power bar
• L
• big salad with hard boiled eggs
• D
• grass fed beef burgers with steamed veggies
• Sunday 
• B 
• protein smoothie
• S
• almonds
• L
• leftover burgers over salad
• D
• veggie quiche 

Chicken Crust Pizza

After a great response to this pizza from those that attended the Maximized Living recipe night at West Cobb Chiropractic I decided to post it for all to enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 6 cloves garlic (shredded or pressed)
• 5 eggs
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 can organic pizza sauce or homemade
• check label to made sure it has no added sugar- I used the Muir Glen sauce and it was great
• shredded cheese
• I used Beyond Organic Greed Fed Cheddar
• 4 tbsp organic butter

Boil chicken thighs for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. Combine eggs with 4 cloves of garlic and Italian seasoning. When chicken is done, blend it up in food processor or blender (you'll want to blend them 2 at a time so they shred thoroughly, then put them into a mixing bowl). Add egg mixture to chicken and form it into a dough. 

This recipe makes 2 pizzas (because 1 is never enough), so grab 2 baking sheets and 2 pieces of parchment paper to line the pans. Separate dough equally and roll out to desired size. Bake for 12-15 minutes in a 425 degree oven. 

While the crust is baking, melt down the butter in a saucepan and add 2 large cloves of shredded garlic. When crusts are finished, take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Divide garlic butter and distribute evenly over the crusts. 

Now it's time for toppings! I kept it simple with just pizza sauce and cheese, but you can get as creative as you want. Bake again for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted/toppings are cooked. 

Throw a few ripe avocados, a bag of frozen strawberries and a bit of stevia in the blender to complete the meal with some strawberry gelato!

So there you go! Advanced plan pizza and ice cream!

I adapted this recipe from this blog... http://www.norcalsc.com/chicken-pizza-youll-never-miss-the-crust

Week 1 Meal Plan

Advanced 30 Day Challenge Week 1 Meal Plan

Groceries to Buy

• 1 pound antibiotic free ground turkey  
• 1 pound grass fed beef or Beyond Organic Green Fed Beef (www.foodforhealth.mybeyondorganic.com)
• 2 pounds organic chicken 
• 2 dozen eggs 
• 1 cans black beans 
• 1 bag coconut flakes
• 2 cans coconut milk 
• 1 box organic butter 
• 1 jar almond butter 
• 1 head org. kale 
• 1 bag org spinach 
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes 
• 2 org. Granny smith apples 
• 1 cucumber
• Org. red pepper, org green pepper
• 1 avocado
• Head of broccoli
• 1 large onion
• ½ lb deli turkey 
• Fresh strawberries 
• Romaine Lettuce 
• Small bag walnuts 
• Small bag cashews 
• 1 container hummus 
• 1 can organic crushed tomatoes 
• 1 quart organic chicken broth
• 1 container full fat organic plain yogurt or 1 bottle Green Fed Plain Amasai
• Try to buy 1 item you can get a lot of uses out of per week (so it doesn’t get too expensive in one grocery store visit) 
• Ex: one week buy butter, the next olive oil, the next coconut oil 
• This way you can stock up and not need to buy them for a while after your first get them 

Meal Plan

• Monday
• Breakfast 
• 2 eggs scrambled in butter over a bed of spinach
• Snack
• Handful of cashews or coconut flakes
• Lunch
• Salad- kale, ½  cucumber, red pepper, black beans, olive oil, balsamic or apple cider vinegar 
• Dinner
• Turkey burger w/ steamed broccoli
• Use half of your turkey, mix in desired spices (curry and cumin are really good) and create 2 patties- cook in butter or coconut oil 
• Steam broccoli for 3 minutes
• Tuesday
• Breakfast
• Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, spinach, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
• Snack
• Granny Smith Apple with almond butter
• Lunch
• Leftover turkey burger with a salad 
• Dinner
• Chicken with black beans and onions
• Chop 1/3 of your onion and cook in down in butter, cook chicken (chop into chunks for quicker cooking) in same pan, heat black beans (you can add spices)
• Eat with kale or spinach
• Wednesday
• B
• 2 eggs scrambled and cooked in butter over a bed of spinach
• Add onions cooked in butter or avocado to the top of eggs for some variety
• S
• Handful of coconut flakes
• L
• Left over chicken with salad
• D
• Tex Mex over kale with avocado
• Put grass fed beef and the rest of the ground turkey in pan and cook through. Chop 1/3 onion, ½ green pepper, 1 clove garlic- sauté in butter for 3-5 minutes. Drain meat if necessary- add meat to veggies- add 1 can drained black beans and ½- 1 can tomatoes (depends how much liquid you want in there). Season with cumin and paprika. 

• Thursday
• B 
• Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, coconut milk/yogurt/Amasai- add as much until you like the consistency
• S
• Apple with almond butter
• L
• Left over Tex Mex with kale
• D
• Curry Chicken
• Cut up chicken and cook in butter. Add in chopped up onions, peppers and broccoli. Add in ½-1 can coconut milk and add spices (red curry or yellow curry)

• Friday
• B
• Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
• S
• Handful of coconut flakes
• L
• Salad with left over curry chicken
• D
• 2 eggs scrambled in butter over a bed of spinach
• Add onions cooked in butter or avocado to the top of eggs for some variety

• Saturday
• B
• 2 spoonfuls almond butter w/ sliced strawberries, coconut milk/Amasai/yogurt poured over and sprinkled with stevia
• S
• Hard boiled egg
• L
• Berry Salad - Romaine with chopped strawberries, walnuts, deli turkey (roll and then slice), poppy seeds (optional), olive oil, balsamic vinegar
• D
• Quiche – chop deli turkey and any veggies you like.  Whip 6-8 eggs, add sea salt and pepper and veggies.  Butter a round baking dish, pour egg mixture in and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.    
• Sunday
• B
• Veggie Omelet – scramble eggs but don’t stir.  Let set underneath and carefully flip over.  Fill with desired filling and fold the egg over and slide on to a plate
• S
• Hummus with slices veggies
• L
• Leftover Quiche and/or Lettuce wrap – spread hummus on lettuce leaves with turkey slices and any other desired toppings
• D
• Beef Veggie Soup.- brown the remaining ½ lb ground beef.  Add salt (about 1 tsp), pepper, and ½ tsp chili powder.  Pour in undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, and any veggies you want.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  

What is your BIG WHY?

"Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and reap a character, sow a character and you reap a destiny."-Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Right now you are in the "thought" stage. You're thinking about changing your life by applying the 5 Essentials. Maybe you were inspired by the makeover, a friend convinced you to do it or maybe you're starting to (or have already) realized that if you lose your health you lose your life and you think now is the time for change. So you signed up for the 30 day challenge and now it's time to move to the next stage

ACTION. 

This, unfortunately, is the stage where many people get lost. Where the negative actions and habits of the past drag you backwards and what were once your goals are now just good ideas for someone else. The only thing that will get you through the next 30 days and the rest of your life is having a WHY big enough to withstand any HOW. 

That is the reason every challenge participant has to fill out their BIG WHY on their goal sheet. Every morning you need to remember WHY you're participating in the challenge. Because there will be days when you wake up and don't want to do your T3 workout (even though it's only 12 minutes) or days when you don't feel like going to the grocery store, BUT if you're constantly reminded of WHY you're doing this you will be able to push through and accomplish the changes necessary to form new habits. 

My goal is to help you to succeed beyond what you think you're capable of, not just for the next 30 days, but for the rest of your life. We are all on this planet for a reason and it's extremely difficult to serve your purpose if you are sick, suffering or dead. We all must become "everlastingly inspired to win rather than temporarily motivated to change". 

Action Step: 

Make a BIG WHY vision board for yourself this weekend before the challenge starts. Grab a fitness magazine, poster board and some markers. Cut out images of the fit body you want to have, find quotes or Bible verses that inspire you, write out your big why in bold colored letters. Then hang it somewhere you will see it first thing in the morning!

Stay tuned... my next post will be a delicious Advanced Meal Plan for week 1 of the challenge!