Tag Archives: gluten-free

Primal Spanish Rice Bowls + 30-Day Supply of Siggi’s Yogurt Giveaway!

FullSizeRender (12)

Tuesday night, I made a meal which Tommy called “one of his all-time favorites.” This is a big deal, so I thought I’d share it with you!

Most of it was pretty standard - a burrito bowl! But what he was really excited about was the rice, so I will share how to make that!

Here’s a little preview of the meal!

Doesn’t that look delicious? Since most of the items are just the item chopped up, I won’t explain all of that. But the rice - here goes!

Continue Reading

Primal/Low Carb Sushi Burritos/Sushirritos!

When was the last time you saw a recipe and used non-PG13 language? Sorry, grandparents, but the last time for me was when I saw this one! I knew instantly that that was what was for dinner last night, and set out to gather ingredients and modify it to my liking! 

First, chop up a head of cauliflower and “rice” it in a food processor! 

We LOVE our ninja to make cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash! <3

Next, take a cucumber, and cut the two ends and then the four edges off. Snack on the middle (skinless looong parallelogram) while you are making the rest. Slice the four edge pieces into little strips like this! 

It honestly took me a moment to understand what was going on with the cucumber part here, but as long as you have thinly sliced cucumber pieces, you can’t really go wrong!

 

Next, put the cauliflower rice in a very hot wok, and season it with tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) or coconut aminos/Bragg’s aminos! 

Cauliflower rice with tamari in it.

Add a block of full-fat, organic cream cheese (jackpot!) to the cauliflower, along with some rice vinegar. 

Cut some HIGH QUALITY sashimi-grade ahi tuna into small pieces, and slice an avocado into small slices. 

All the “insides” for the primal sushi!

Lay out one sheet of Nori on top of a bamboo roller covered in parchment paper or saran wrap (I don’t know how to work saran wrap, so I went with parchment paper). 

Cover the Nori with the cauliflower rice/cream cheese mixture except the last half inch or so, and then put all the other goodies in a line at the end! 

Ready to roll…. Get it? I’ll see myself out.

Use your bamboo roller to roll it up nice and tightly! I didn’t really know how to do that, so I used this video!

 

Also, if you don’t want to use your hands, we had a couple of these little numbers lying around, and they were really helpful to spread the rice around! Not sure where they came from, so I blame it on the half-Filipino fiance! 

I found it super amusing when I was searching for the above video what other people wanted to know about how to roll! 

What is a backwoods blunt? Who is Brendon Urie? I will most likely never know.

When I had them all rolled, I just piled them up and put them in the fridge. 

Pile of low carb sushirritos. YES!

If you own a super sharp knife, you can slice the rolls into normal sushi pieces if you so choose. If not? Eat them like burritos! I tried slicing mine, and they turned into smashed piles of deliciousness, so I stuck to the Sushirrito form! 

Sooo good!

What was the last recipe you were super pumped to try? Did it meet your expectations? Comment below! 

Update: Want to support the efforts against the fires in Canada? Do so with a free preview of Beachbody’s newest program. Check it out here with a 30-day free trial


And if you’d like to learn more about why my healthy recipes are so fatty, and explore some self-love in the process, click here to join my “Embrace the Fat” Group which starts 5/30-6/3! 

If you love the idea of streaming workouts, I have another group starting 6/6 that is a month of support and accountability toward nutrition and fitness, including the option of on-demand workouts! Click here to join! Here’s the link to the workouts, if you want to try without the group! 30-Day Free trial! 😉 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie on Periscope! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: Primal Shrimp & Grits!

One of my favorite foods of all time is Shrimp & Grits. Ever since the trips I took to South Carolina and Georgia, I have basically been obsessed with it! 

Well, guess what? You know I had to make it primal! 


Here’s what I did: 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and remove the shells from a bag of shrimp. 

Sautee the shrimp on medium heat until they are no longer transparent. 

Add half a block of cream cheese, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, and about three ounces of shredded (by yourself - not bought that way) cheddar cheese to the shrimp. 

Add a BPA-Free can of tomatoes and green chilis to the mix, and mix it well! 

Pour this melted goodness into a casserole pan. 

Make some cauliflower rice (steam the rice, then put it in the food processor until it is the texture of rice - or close to it), blend about another ounce of cheese into it and spread it on top of the melty shrimp mix. 

Cut up a medium jalepeno, and put the pieces on top of the cheesey cauliflower layer. Put in the oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes - until the top is golden brown and the jalepeno pieces appear cooked! 

Slice it up and serve - and enjoy a low carb, non-gmo version of my delicious fave! 

What would you like to see me Primal-ify next? 

Don’t forget our Bring a Buddy workout challenge starting Monday

xoxo, 

Mandie 

Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie on Periscope! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: Bacon Crust Pizza!

Oh man… Happy New Year! 

I wanted to do a nice little “end of 2015 - year in review” type thing, but as it turns out, when I left town for a day shy of three weeks, I was pretty busy! I also had some recipes to share, but I think they will have to wait! 

I don’t think you’ll be upset, though, because I offer you this - bacon crust pizza! 

One of the things Tommy and I missed from Chicago was Lou Malnati’s pizza… Pizza in California just isn’t that fantastic! And one of Lou Malnati’s specialties is sausage crust pizza! I was thinking today about how we didn’t get to try it when we were home, and thought “Maybe I will try to make that tonight! 

Then I remembered the majesty that was our Christmas dinner… and I decided to go a different route - and you can’t go wrong with bacon! 

I started by weaving 12 strips of high quality, humanely raised bacon into a lattice. 


I then put it in the oven at four hundred degrees for ten minutes! 

Let’s add some cheese, shall we?  

I used Montitrentini Caciotta Tartufo cheese with truffles from Umbria Italy, and it was good! 

While the bacon crust was cooking, I shredded the cheese (here’s why you don’t buy shredded cheese), and sauteed some spinach and mushrooms. 

Then after the cheese, I added the spinach and mushrooms! 


Then, how about some more cheese? (I had used ALMOST all of it, and figured I’d just finish up the wheel)! 


Then it’s back in the oven for ten more minutes (still at 400 degrees) and boom! DELICIOUS! 

It disappeared quickly! And because there is so much fat, it’s super filling! Next time, I think I will maybe throw some chicken breast on top for extra protein! 😉 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. What would you like me to primal-ify next? 

P.P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie on Periscope! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: “I’m About To Go HAM” Edition!

I’m about to go HAM… Healthy as a mutha….! 

If you’re not familiar, here’s the reference! 


As I’m sure you’ve discovered, this week’s two recipes are centered around ham! 

This past Sunday, we bought a ham from a pig that had been fed organic whey and other healthy treats - we are super careful about the quality of meat we eat, as well as how the animal was treated when it was alive! 

We wanted to get a bone-in ham (there is so much more flavor, and we can use the bone for both broth and soup), but the bone-in hams were HUGE, so we got a smaller one! 

The first thing I made… Was ham. Haha, duh! Here’s the recipe I followed… I thought it was pretty fantastic, because when you (or at least I) think of ham, it is usually covered in honey or maple syrup or some other sugary substance, but this one is whole 30 compliant/paleo/primal! 


Doesn’t it look delicious? In case you haven’t clicked through yet to the recipe, it is covered in spinach and basil, and laying on an asparagus bed (which doesn’t sound as comfortable as it does delicious)! 

I served it with the asparagus from underneath, and mashed cauliflower with a pat of Kerrygold butter on the top! 

It was even better than it looks! 

Now ideally, had we bought the bone-in ham, I would have used just the bones for the split pea soup I made, but without the bone, I had to improvise! 

If you HAVE a ham bone on hand, start with that, and let it boil for about an hour. If you don’t have it, take a piece of your ham and put it into some boiling water for a while to get the flavor into the water! Then add a small diced onion, 16oz of frozen cauliflower, 16oz of frozen green beans, and a stalk of celery with the leaves and all (chopped into pieces) to the water, and let it boil until the veggies are all super mushy! Once it’s mushy, drain the water (which you can drink so you don’t lose nutrients, if you’d like!) and blend the veggies in the food processor until it is split pea soup consistency. At this point, I had cut up chunks of ham, too, so that it is meaty and delicious…. And voila! Split pea soup, with no peas! 

I have an extra exciting treat in store for you next week. Stay tuned! 

Also, in case you missed them, the Black Friday through Cyber Monday deals are LIVE for Beachbody, and you can check them out here! My team and I are also hosting a few challenge groups to help people stay fit throughout the holiday season, so you should check them out if you want to join us! There’s more info at the bottom of the Black Friday post! 😉 

What else would you like me to Primal-ify? 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie on Periscope! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday Recipe Roundup: Primal Buffalo Chicken Dip & Primal Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole!

I cooked a lot this week, and let me say - it was a yummy week! 

The first thing I made was buffalo chicken dip! 


I basically used the recipe from the Frank’s Red Hot website, but modified it to remove bleu cheese, sour cream, and industrial oils from the equation. Here’s MY version:  

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 (8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup FRANK’S RedHot® Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or FRANK’S RedHot® Buffalo Wings Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese grassfed cheddar
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp dried parsley
  • slightly less than 1/4 tsp dried dill
  • a dash of  salt
  • slightly less than 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (unless you have a NuWave). Combine all ingredients and spoon into shallow 1-quart baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through(on full power in NuWave); stir. Garnish with chopped green onions if desired. Serve with vegetables (we chose cucumbers and green peppers to scoop ours!

Needless to say, it was yummy, and I already look forward to making it again! 

I ALSO made bacon cheeseburger casserole! 

No need to reinvent the wheel! I followed this recipe, but swapped cottage cheese for mayo, and flaxseed meal for almond flour - the rest I followed to the letter! 

If you are interested in eating healthier and avoiding illness this holiday season, check out this post! The webinar was last night, but I just posted the replay to our group, so feel free to join us! 

Also, if you are in the Bay Area, check out this post

And if you have ever considered Beachbody coaching and would like more information, check out this link, to a facebook group we are hosting starting Monday - a no-pressure place to learn about coaching and what it has to offer! 😉 

What would you like to see me primal-ify next week? 😉 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie on Periscope! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: How to Get Your Kids (or yourself) to Eat Liver!

This week, I cooked quite a bit, but it was primarily things that were not super photogenic… 

Like meat loaf. I mean, unless we are talking about this one: 

Most of the time, meatloaf is SUPER visually unappealing - but feel free to prove me wrong! 

The meat loaf I made this week loosely followed this recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple, which is where I get a lot of my recipes! What I did differently here was to put organic, sugar free ketchup on top instead of in the recipe! 

I also made this Primal Beef Stroganoff and covered with with green beans, since I was part of an “eating green” challenge this week! 

But the main focus of this post would be my Primal Taco Salad.

I discovered in another close label-reading session a couple years ago that most store-bought taco seasonings have sugar in them! Um, no thanks! (Read more label scariness here!)

So since then, I have been making my own, and you can read that recipe here! 


There it is all mixed up in a taco salad with kale, spinach, baby mixed greens, cilantro, cottage cheese, green peppers, tomatoes, Kerrygold cheddar, grassfed ground Kobe beef, and beef liver pate

Wait, what?! 

Yes, beef liver pate. Tommy and I try to eat as much organ meat as we can, for the health benefits of it (more info here from an expert). Hence the sweetbreads

We have tried to eat liver on its own, cooked in bacon fat, with onions, but even though it tasted good, it still made me feel like gagging - I am not sure why! So I discovered that if I sautéed it a bit and then ground it up and mixed it in with grassfed ground beef, I could get the nutrients without worrying about tasting it or gagging! 


I don’t think you’d ever know it is there! But don’t worry - I would never sneak strange (to some people) ingredients in food, so I don’t want my friends to be concerned that they don’t know what they’re eating if they came over for dinner - haha! 


That’s it! Dinner is served! And you can adapt it however - like spaghetti squash with home made pasta sauce and liver meat sauce, etc! Great way to “get it down” without gagging or tasting it or feeling like you’re on Fear Factor! 

What would you like me to “Primal-ify” for next week? I think I am going to revisit this for tonight’s dinner! 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie on Periscope! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Who Is Mandie? + Fit Foodie Friday!

FullSizeRender (2)

Normally on Fridays, I do a Fit Foodie Friday post, but this Friday is special! Not only will I include a couple recipes (scroll to the bottom-ish, just past Tommy and I), but it is also my “spotlight day” in the “Grow Your Blog Hop” that Runaway Bridal Planner organized! Thank you to her for the awesome experience, by the way! 

So I suppose I should start with a little introduction! 

Fortunately, I just happen to have the perfect thing: 


At the beginning of this year, I decided to take my dream of helping as many people as possible with a tv show about fitness, nutrition, sustainability, beauty, and personal development into my own hands by making my own YouTube channel (shameless self-promotion, I know! haha). It’s still limping along with better love on my facebook page, but I believe that consistency is key, and if one of the two views on the YouTube videos makes someone laugh or makes their day easier, then it was worth my time! 

For fun, I like reading, personal development, fitness, nutrition and cooking, hanging out with my friends and cat, and playing dress up (as either a makeup artist or model), and helping people achieve their goals to lead healthy and fulfilling lives as a Beachbody coach, and for “work”, I live by the adage that “if you love your job, you never work a day in your life” or whatever that cliche statement is. Basically, I live the dream by changing lives and playing dress up for a living! 

I just moved to California from Milwaukee with my amazing boyfriend (Tommy) and adorable cat (Refugio), so this will be my first Winter in a non-cold place, as well as first Thanksgiving away from my family! I ALSO just was named President of the Palo Alto chapter of Femfessionals, which I am really excited about! I also have an event coming up at PrAna in Palo Alto, if you’re local to the area and want to say “hi!” 

I think that mainly covers the Cliff’s Notes summary of who I am and what I like to do! If you want random answers to questions, check this out, or go to my About Me for a slightly more formal version of a biography! 

Now, on to what the regulars on my blog are looking for: Fit Foodie Friday

I follow the “Primal Blueprint” loosely for fitness and nutrition, so most of the recipes I post follow the Primal/Paleo/JERF food guidelines! This week, I have two recipes! 

Wild Boar Overstuffed Peppers, and Primal Pumpkin Pie! 

Ever since my second date with Tommy, where I ordered chicken fettuccine Alfredo and didn’t take a to-go box when he was in his 6th year of PT school (poor grad student), and still have yet to live it down (almost six years later), I have tried to earn the crown of “never wasting food,” (they have a crown for that?) to make up for it!

He may tease me about wasting pasta, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a happier, more in love couple!

So, when he and I were the only people who DROVE home from the week in the beach house, we inherited a lot of groceries, and I felt obligated to use them! 

And no - there wasn’t leftover wild boar. But we are picky about our meat (we prefer ethically/sustainably pasture raised/grass fed when we can), and this was what I found in the “grass fed” section at the grocery store closest to our house: 

Go home, Sprouts. You’re drunk!

 So I got creative and went to the game section, and bought a pound of wild boar! 

You’ll also need an onion, two zucchini, several ripe tomatoes (I think there were about five small tomatoes left), two green peppers, some spinach (a couple handfulls of whatever is going bad first in a big salad box) some garlic, salt, thyme (not Old Tyme Pasture Raised Grass-fed beef, just the seasoning “thyme”). 

Chop the onion and start sauteeing it in olive oil. Do the same with the zucchini, after the onion is starting to become transparent. Add the wild boar and keep stirring until it has browned. In the meantime, add the tomatoes and smash them in - they are kinda doubling as tomato sauce! While this is all simmering, wash and cut your peppers in half lengthwise, and place in a glass cooking dish. When the boar is brown, pour mixture into the peppers (the cups shall overfloweth) and then cook the whole thing about 20 minutes on 425 (or in a NuWave on high) and then your delicious dinner is served! 

Who wants some dessert? 

I felt like making something nice for Tommy, who has been a real sweetheart lately, and has been working and studying a lot (he is a Doctor of Physical Therapy in a residency program right now). He really loves pumpkin anything, and I am not a fan, so most Autumns, I don’t make anything pumpkin-y. I looked up this recipe for a Primal Pumpkin Pie and decided to modify it (because I felt like it should have pumpkin in it, amiright?)!

But I didn’t remove the skins on the sweet potatoes (because we are rugged) and added a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, about a tablespoon of honey,  a can of organic pumpkin, and drizzled some melted Mighty Nut Pumpkin Peanut Butter on top (because we happened to have it and it seemed like a good idea)! Tommy said it isn’t as sweet as most desserts (his co-workers probably wouldn’t appreciate it), but since he is used to paleo/primal/no sugar added desserts that he liked it. He gave it a 7.4 out of 9.2! (I gave him the parameters and he went with it)! 

If you’d like to see more of the Fit Foodie Friday posts, click here! 

I hope you liked the little intro to who I am, as well as what we have been eating this week! 

What’s your favorite Fall/Winter dessert? What else would you like to see me Primal-ify? Any questions for me, since for many of you, this is your introduction to me? 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: Recipe Round-Up! Spaghetti Squash and Awesome Dip!

This week, I have a couple delicious primal recipes to share that I made this week! 

The first is one that I was so excited for when I saw it that I had to make it that day. Does that ever happen to you? 

I basically took this recipe, added sautéed kale, and replaced chips with cucumbers, and it was awesome! I am going to call it “awesome dip,” because I think that describes it pretty perfectly! 

The finished product - awesome dip!
Yum. I am ready for my close up!

It was even better reheated the second day! 

Next, I have a classic that I thought I should include because it is a Primal favorite - spaghetti squash! 

One of the things on my learning curve in switching to Primal eating was learning that in most cases, it wasn’t the carbs that tasted so good, but rather whatever I put on them. So sometimes, I made meat and cheese pasta sauce and just ate that! But eventually, I started eating spaghetti squash instead. Again, like most of my recipes, it is super versatile - you can go crazy with whatever you want when it comes to toppings! 

So, for the spaghetti squash itself - cut the squash in half length-wise. Scoop out the guts (the stringy part and the seeds, not the “meat” of the squash) and discard. Put about 1-1.5″ of water in a pan. Put the squash facedown in the water in the pan and cook at about 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and let it cool, then use a fork to scrape out and form “noodles.” 

Top with whatever you want, and enjoy! 

A couple things to note about commercial spaghetti sauce: most of them have sugar or artificial sweeteners added. For this reason, I usually make my own sauce using diced tomatoes (NOT in a can, unless the can is BPA-free), garlic, oregano, thyme, onions, kale, and mushrooms! 

So, this time, mine had that (but I didn’t have kale for the sauce) as well as grassfed ground beef and some raw cheese from grassfed cows! 

Spaghetti Squash! If you just move the cheese mound over a bit, you can see the food underneath!

Ok, a lot of cheese! 

Like I said, you can top it however you want - the world is your oyster! I have yet to make a chicken alfredo version with mushrooms, but you better believe that is coming on the horizon! Or perhaps a shrimp alfredo during Lent? 

What would you like to see me make? Let me know what you’d like me to Primal-ify! 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: Primal Taco Seasoning!

Oh boy… Three blogs in a row of Fit Foodie Friday means 3 weeks in a row of only blogging one day a week. I guess I have too much on my plate! (See what I did there? I’m sorry. I understand if you unsubscribe from my blog after that bad joke! 

I plan to write quite a few new blogs soon. I have the topics and content, I just need screen time! I bet that isn’t too common of a statement these days! 

Ok, enough of that! I will just say you have some great posts to look forward to and get on with it! 

Did you know that taco seasoning (and so many other things) bought from the store has sugar added to it? At least all the varieties I have found do! 

To avoid it, I found the following recipe a couple years ago, and have been making it ever since! 

(Well, that is for a whole primal taco salad - you can improvise the rest - seasoned meat, red onion, tomato kale, avocado, raw cheese from grassfed cows), but I will help you season your meat!) 

For every pound of grass fed ground beef (or chicken, I suppose!), add: 
2 tsp paprika, 
.5 tsp sea salt 
1 tsp chili powder 
1 tsp onion powder 
1.5 tsp cumin 
and .5 tsp garlic powder ! 

Then, like I said, mix it in a salad! I hope this opens your eyes to some creepy things on food labels, like added sugar. Here is an old blog that exposes some label sneakiness, as well as a new video* that has some other food label information that might interest you! 


*wardrobe provided by PrAna Palo Alto

What is your favorite healthy version of a store-bought convenience food? Are you aware of any other sneaky label tricks you’d like to share? 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. 

Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday: CUPCAKE EDITION!

Before you get TOO excited, it’s probably not the cupcakes you’re thinking… 

THESE cupcakes are low carb, paleo/primal/keto, gluten-free EGG cupcakes! 

I did an experiment to see about skipping steps - how saving time would go! 

Almost a year ago, I made egg cupcakes and posted the recipe on instagram.  


Tonight, I made something very similar, but thought to myself “Why am I cooking the veggies twice?” 

So today, since I wasn’t adding meat to the egg cupcakes, I tried chopping up a bunch of kale, parsley and mushrooms and just putting them into the egg and milk mixture, then pouring it into the cupcake pan and baking it. 

Well, let’s say this. You know how when you cook any sort of leafy green thing, it shrinks down? If you try to put two whole bunches of kale in, you will have a lot of leftover kale shoved off to the side to sauté later and make something else. But other than that, I’d say it was a success! 

So, here’s what I did: 

Pre-heat oven to 400°. 

Whisk 11 eggs, and add 2TBS milk.  

Add raw, cut up veggies that you did not feel like pre-cooking and mix it up.

Grease a cupcake pan and put some cut up kale in it.

Pour the egg and milk and mushroom (those were my choices) mix on top of the kale.

Pop into the oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until the egg top is puffy and turns golden brown.

Put some Boursin on top (or into the middle - we think that would have been better, but I forgot until it was already in the oven)!

Remove from the oven & enjoy!

Some things I love about this recipe are that they are so versatile - you can put anything you want inside! Also, I love that they are portable - you can kinda just put them in whatever container and take them to go very easily for a delicious and healthy snack! 

What would you like to see my primal-ify next week? I have a primal challenge coming up the 12th! 

And this Monday, I am co-hosting a webinar about Beachbody coaching. Click here if you are interested! 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

Fit Foodie Friday - Ranch & a Great Way To Use It!

Wednesday night when I was hanging with my friend Elle, we both shared one of many similar sentiments, so I am guessing that we are not alone in this… 

Do you ever take a long break away from eating salads, and then have one really good salad and wonder why you aren’t eating them all the time? I know that when I lived in the midwest, I was cold 3/4 of the year and wanted to eat hot food all the time, but now that we live in California (Elle is from Chicago), there’s no excuse! 


HOWEVER, one thing that makes salads tough is salad dressings. No, I don’t mean because of fat content, but rather because so many of them are full of gross oils, like canola or vegetable oil, which are so bad for you, they nearly negate the goodness you are providing yourself by eating a salad! 

As I mentioned above, I am from the Midwest, and it is a documented fact that White Midwesterners love ranch. So, needless to say, I made a creepy oil-free Ranch dressing today! And oddly enough, the reason I made it was only partially because of the salad conversation last night! 

At my shoot Wednesday, I met a wonderful wardrobe stylist who is also a foodie, and she was talking about one of her favorite restaurants, and the Buffalo Cauliflower they make. That got me thinking - what can I do with that recipe idea? So I came up with this - Buffalo Chicken & Cauliflower Casserole, drizzled in Primal Ranch dressing! 

We’ll start with the casserole! 

Buffalo Chicken & Cauliflower Casserole!

Primal Buffalo Chicken & Cauliflower
If you have wanted to feel healthy eating Buffalo Chicken something, here is your chance!
Write a review
Print
1512 calories
37 g
548 g
106 g
114 g
61 g
1237 g
4377 g
14 g
4 g
35 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
1237g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1512
Calories from Fat 936
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 106g
164%
Saturated Fat 61g
307%
Trans Fat 4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g
Monounsaturated Fat 29g
Cholesterol 548mg
183%
Sodium 4377mg
182%
Total Carbohydrates 37g
12%
Dietary Fiber 14g
58%
Sugars 14g
Protein 114g
Vitamin A
110%
Vitamin C
618%
Calcium
25%
Iron
33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
  1. One Rotisserie Chicken (organic, free-range), torn into small pieces
  2. One Head Cauliflower, in bite-sized pieces
  3. One (Head? Stalk? Grouping of Stalks?) Celery, diced
  4. One Brick (one cup) Kerrygold Butter
  5. Two Garlic Cloves, minced
  6. 2 Teaspoons Paprika
  7. 1/2 cup hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot is best, in my opinion)
  8. 2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
  1. Melt the butter in a pot on low.
  2. Add spices (garlic, paprika, ACV)
  3. Add hot sauce.
  4. Add cauliflower, as you break the pieces up.
  5. Add chicken.
  6. Stir so the cauliflower and chicken are evenly coated with the sauce mixture.
  7. Bake in new wave for 22 minutes (or oven at 350 degrees).
  8. Add celery pieces once it is all cooked, so they don't get soggy. Stir them in well!
  9. Stir and drizzle ranch on top.
Notes
  1. It doesn't have to be a rotisserie chicken - it is just easier that way! You can also use bleu cheese instead of ranch, but I prefer ranch! I was thinking it might be good as well to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top!
beta
calories
1512
fat
106g
protein
114g
carbs
37g
more
MandieM.com http://www.mandiem.com/

Because of the celery, I don’t know how this will reheat. I will see soon! But this might be a “I have some hungry primal friends coming over” type of meal as opposed to a “I am single and live alone and don’t mind re-heating and eating the same thing all week” type of meal! Also, yes. I used rotisserie chicken again - and I know it’s lazy. But I just got back from LA today and was tired! 😛 

And of course, the ranch! 

Primal Ranch Dressing
Ranch Dressing, minus creepy oils!
Write a review
Print
325 calories
29 g
64 g
16 g
18 g
10 g
502 g
1412 g
23 g
0 g
4 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
502g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 325
Calories from Fat 141
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16g
25%
Saturated Fat 10g
52%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 64mg
21%
Sodium 1412mg
59%
Total Carbohydrates 29g
10%
Dietary Fiber 1g
5%
Sugars 23g
Protein 18g
Vitamin A
11%
Vitamin C
7%
Calcium
63%
Iron
7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (organic, full fat, and if possible - not pasteurized!)
  2. 1 tsp garlic powder
  3. 1 tsp onion powder
  4. 1 tsp dried parsley
  5. .75 tsp dried dill
  6. ½ tsp salt
  7. .75 tsp pepper
Instructions
  1. Put ingredients in your magic bullet or magic bullet-esque blender. Mix those bad boys up. Put on everything & enjoy your life!
Notes
  1. Because there are no preservatives in this dressing, it will not last as long as a traditional bottle of dressing would. Your expiration date is basically whatever it said on the yogurt container! This is encouragement to eat lots of salads! ;)
beta
calories
325
fat
16g
protein
18g
carbs
29g
more
Adapted from Mark's Daily Apple Forum
MandieM.com http://www.mandiem.com/

Between these images and looking back at my instagram feed from a long time ago, I am painfully aware that I do not take attractive food pictures! I am sure that some of it is now my recent phone issue (which also explains the pics being bad from long ago), but I am thinking of trying to find an online course in food photography! Anyone know of any good courses to suggest? 

Anyway, I hope that you love the recipes! If you try it, especially if you make any changes, let me know! I would love to hear what you think! Is there anything you’d like me to Primal-ify? 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Fit Foodie Friday Recipe Roundup #3!

You may notice that there was no FFFRR last week! For that, I apologize! I am still learning the ropes on the whole “blogging regularly instead of just when I feel like it” thing, so I obviously didn’t have this queued in advance and ready to roll when I rushed out the door Friday afternoon for a road trip to Malibu! 

But worry not - I have the same two recipes I was going to share last week, plus a third! 

Since I spent the vast majority of this week out of town, you probably wouldn’t have gotten any more than that anyway, unless I would have dipped back into my instagram archives

The first thing I made last week (twice, actually, because it was so good) was Primal Meatloaf. Here’s the recipe for that! 

Primal Meatloaf, shown with random sauteed veggies!

 

Primal Meatloaf
Serves 6
This is meatloaf sans bread crumbs, and is so delicious!
Write a review
Print
526 calories
7 g
240 g
35 g
44 g
15 g
232 g
852 g
4 g
2 g
15 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
232g
Servings
6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 526
Calories from Fat 311
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 35g
53%
Saturated Fat 15g
77%
Trans Fat 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 240mg
80%
Sodium 852mg
36%
Total Carbohydrates 7g
2%
Dietary Fiber 1g
4%
Sugars 4g
Protein 44g
Vitamin A
14%
Vitamin C
11%
Calcium
27%
Iron
23%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
  1. 2.5 pounds ground beef
  2. 1 chopped onion
  3. 1/3 cup organic Ketchup or tomato sauce
  4. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 3 eggs
  6. 1 teaspoon salt
  7. 1 teaspoon pepper
  8. 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  9. 6 ounces (1-1/2 cups) cheese (any kind - we tried Monterrey Jack and Cheddar) shredded or in chunks
Instructions
  1. In a small skillet, sauté half of the onion in oil or butter until caramelized.
  2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Put the meat mixture in a pan or casserole dish and shape into a loaf.
  4. Bake at 375º for 40-50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 140º. You can also cook in a NuWave for about 48 minutes!
Notes
  1. We cooked ours in our NuWave and loved it! We served it with veggies and topped it with organic ketchup that did NOT have any creepy oils in it!
beta
calories
526
fat
35g
protein
44g
carbs
7g
more
Adapted from Adapted from MarksDailyApple.com Message Boards
MandieM.com http://www.mandiem.com/

Then, for a delicious dessert, we FINALLY tried the whole “let’s make ‘ice cream’ out of a few bananas and some other ingredients” thing - and I don’t know why we didn’t do it sooner! 

This recipe has myriad options, so I am just going to type it out anecdotally, instead of making a recipe card! 

Yum with a capital Y!

Basically, you take a banana or a few, peel it/them, cut into slices, and pop the slices into the freezer (in some kind of container so they aren’t freezer burned). Once frozen, you can blend them with whatever tasty treats you think will spruce up your meal! What we did: almond butter (fresh from the farmer’s market, so it tastes like real almonds and not blended cardboard), some salt, and dark chocolate chips (which I recommend adding at the end). The result? Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. It. Was. AMAZING! I am tempted to call it “I can’t believe it’s not ice cream,” but I think the stuff in that butter stuff is probably sketchy and I don’t want the association… or to be sued! The banana flavor is relatively subdued, too. It’s not like when you were a kid and there was a banana in your lunch and suddenly EVERYTHING in your lunch bag tasted like banana! 

The third recipe is another I am just going to type up anecdotally. 

Something I frequently hear when a low-carb diet comes up is “I could never give up bread” or “I could never give up pasta.” For the most part, I think people really could if they tried! If you think about what you like about bread and pasta, it usually isn’t the bread and pasta themselves, but the toppings that go on or in-between those carb items! 

So for pasta, the delicious part is really the meat and sauce! And for bread, it is butter, or the innards of the sandwich. These are all things that are A-OK in the Primal Blueprint Nutrition world! 

I was craving pasta, but I knew I did not need to eat a bunch of carbs and gluten, and that even though I had already drank my Shakeology (which is not a replacement for great, clean, nutritious eating), I still needed to get in a few servings of vegetables! One thing we have continued since the 21 Day Fix Extreme is eating our 3 (for me, or 5 for Tommy) servings of veggies a day!

So, I went to the grocery store and grabbed some veggies, sauteed them in butter and heavy cream (unpasteurized, from grassfed dairy cows), and shredded some cheese on the top (provolone and white cheddar - which should just be called “cheddar,” because I learned doing makeup on the set of this Bel Gioioso cheese commercial and this one that cheddar cheese is white naturally, and if you are eating yellow/orange cheddar, it has been dyed), and called it a day! 

This time for me, it was a couple bunches of broccoli, a pound of mushrooms, a bunch of kale, a red onion, two cloves of garlic, and the cream, butter, and cheese! 

Pasta-less pasta. We will pretend that I didn’t triple the amount of cheese before I ate it. ;P

Soooo good and such satisfying comfort food! And since there is so much high quality fat (which, by the way, is your friend, as long as it is great quality), it is SUPER filling and won’t give you food (carb) coma! 

What would you like to see me make next week? 

xoxo, 

Mandie 

P.S. Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google + 

Paleo/Primal 21 Day Fix/21 Day Fix Extreme Approved Cauliflower Wraps!

Are you looking to eat clean, but are afraid you will miss bread too much?

I recently tried a new recipe that I absolutely LOVED that I think are a great way to sneak a serving of vegetables in! If you’re following the 21 Day Fix or 21 Day Fix Extreme, like we are, each of these wraps counts as one green container and half a red container - then you just have to count in whatever you stuff them with! 

Gluten-Free Cauliflower Wraps!
Yields 4
Primal/Paleo/21-Day Fix/21-Day Fix Extreme-Approved wraps that are gluten-free, all-natural and delicious!
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
35 min
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
108 calories
8 g
186 g
5 g
9 g
2 g
197 g
115 g
3 g
0 g
3 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
197g
Yields
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 108
Calories from Fat 46
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g
8%
Saturated Fat 2g
8%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 186mg
62%
Sodium 115mg
5%
Total Carbohydrates 8g
3%
Dietary Fiber 3g
12%
Sugars 3g
Protein 9g
Vitamin A
5%
Vitamin C
118%
Calcium
6%
Iron
8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
  1. One head of cauliflower
  2. Four eggs
  3. Seasonings of your choosing!
Instructions
  1. Start by making cauliflower rice - put rice into food processor/heavy duty blender and pulse or chop until crushed into tiny pieces!
  2. Then steam the cauliflower rice (15 minutes on a stove top, or 6 minutes in a microwave).
  3. Let it cool for five minutes, or until you can touch it without burning your hand!
  4. Put in cheesecloth, and squeeze out excess water.
  5. Mix in a bowl with the eggs, and seasonings you choose (I made mine without seasonings because I didn't know what I would put in it, but you can make it match the fillings to complement them)!
  6. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
  7. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
  8. Pour 1/4 of the mixture onto the paper, making a circle with no holes/gaps. Repeat four times!
  9. Bake the wrap for twenty minutes at 375.
  10. Add your fillings and serve!
Additional materials
  1. Parchment paper & cheesecloth.
beta
calories
108
fat
5g
protein
9g
carbs
8g
more
MandieM.com http://www.mandiem.com/

I made four wraps, and enjoyed them twice - I just reheated them with the meat on it the second time in the NuWave, and then added my veggies after!

The first time was ground turkey with green peppers and cucumbers and mustard, and the second time was with chicken breast, green peppers, cucumbers, and mustard! The additions made each serving a total of two greens (I did half a container of each veggie, plus the wrap) and 1.5 reds! So delicious - definitely will be making this again when my 21 Day Fix Extreme Round Two is complete! And you’ll see more recipes from me then, too!

I have been laughed at forever for eating wraps/tacos/gyros with a claw hand, but it works! It keeps the valuable and delicious insides INSIDE of the wrap!

What do you want to put in them?

xoxo,

Mandie


 

Who Needs Sugar, Anyway? Recipe & Challenge!

Hey there, friends! I posted a picture collage on facebook and instagram from Tommy’s birthday celebration, and there was a strong reaction to wanting the recipe!

To celebrate, we went to a great seafood restaurant in Half Moon Bay. Here we are!

Since Tommy is even more strict about nutrition than I am, I thought I would try to create a recipe that would please him - it’s got some of his favorite things (coconut and banana cream pie), and has NO ADDED SUGAR! It’s all real food, too! Do you think he liked it?

 

Haha! Something tells me he did!

Here’s how to make it: 

For the crust, I started with a cup of almonds and ground them in my Ninja… But you could also grab a cup of almond meal or almond flour. To that, I added 6 Medjool dates (after removing their pits and putting them in the ninja), 2 TBSP of raw honey, and 2 TBSP of cocoa (no sugar added) and mixed it together. Once I had a nice, sticky paste, I smashed it on the bottom of my “pie pan, ” which was an 8×8 glass dish (but you could really put it in anything, as long as you adjust the amount for the size! Let this chill in the fridge (literally) while you do the rest!

For the filling, I took a can of coconut cream (that’s exactly what it says on the can - not coconut milk) and put it in the ninja with two bananas, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 more TBSP of raw honey! Once it’s all blended together, you can pour it on top of your crust, and again - let it chill in the fridge! Or, if you like more of an “ice cream” type of dessert, kick it up a notch and freeze it. Tommy LOVES ice cream, so that’s what I did!

For the topping, I took 1/2 cup of coconut flakes and lightly browned them in a pan on the stove. Be careful - it is easy to cross the line from “brown” to “black!” if you aren’t paying attention! Once it was done, I let it cool a while, and then sprinkled it as evenly as I could over the top! Then I cut little banana slices and made a 29 for Tommy’s # of years alive and to be decorative, but that is obviously optional. He did say that the banana bites were his favorite, though, so feel free to cover the whole top with them. Sounds yummy to me!

Are you the “no sugar added” type already? Or striving to be? This coming Monday/Tuesday (Monday is extra credit, since it is a holiday!), my team and I are hosting a 5/6 day No Sugar Added Challenge on Facebook, where we will all try not to eat anything with added sugar in it for the week! We will help support and motivate each other and help each other avoid temptation, share recipes like this one, and educate each other on WHY we should be avoiding sugar! If this sounds interesting to you, please share it with anyone you think would enjoy joining, or benefit from it! The link to joining the facebook group is here! 

xoxo,

Mandie

Did you like what you read? Make sure to check out other blogs on the page, and to subscribe by entering your email below, so you never miss a post! 


 

Also, connect with me on social media! 

Mandie’s Fitness, Nutrition, Personal Development, Sustainability & Beauty Facebook Page! 
Mandie on Instagram! 
Mandie Tweets! 
Mandie’s Pinterest! 
Mandie’s Tumblr! 
Mandie’s YouTube! 
Mandie’s Google +