Monday Musings 3.18.19

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Happiest of Mondays! Hopefully there is some semblance of spring happening wherever you are in the world. Here in Spokane, WA it has been gorgeously sunny and as warm as 60 the last few days which is a big change from the 20 and 30 degree weather we had been having!

Now that spring has sprung it’s time to start thinking about all my climbing goals that I have in mind! Well, I have been thinking about them almost every day but now is the time to actively working towards them. I am pretty excited to see what my dedicated winter full of training my weaknesses will bring.

Here are some of the things I have been loving lately:

#1 Primal Kitchen Chocolate Coconut Collagen Fuel

If you don’t know, now you do! I haven’t tried one single Primal Kitchen product that I don’t absolutely love. They have all been so amazing!

I just recently have been using this Collagen Fuel in either my mid-morning tea or a post-workout smoothie and I am loooooving it! The only ingredients are collagen, cocoa powder, coconut milk powder and a tiny bit of monk fruit for a sweetener. I am into it!

Not sure of the benefits of collagen? Besides giving you amazing hair, skin, nails and joints it can also help to repair the gut lining and much, much more! Head to this post I wrote all about the benefits of collagen.

You could totally use this collagen as a healthy replacement for hot chocolate! Just pick your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk, heat and blend. Yum. Primal Kitchen also makes a Vanilla Collagen Fuel flavor but I always choose chocolate over vanilla. Always.

#2 Vitanica Cramp Bark Extra

This stuff is pure magic. Magic in a very large but very effective capsule. If you can’t tell by the name, this supplement is superb for cramps during the menstrual cycle. This is my first time trying a supplement specifically aimed at cramps and I am really happy I did.

While I am always working for reduce stress in my life, sometimes life just happens and creates more stress in our lives. While these instances can’t be helped, I am always looking for natural ways to balance my hormones and create healthy and positive cycles every month.

Periods don’t have to suck and they can be an excellent health market if you know what to look for! If you want more on how to balance hormones and use natural remedies for a healthier cycle head here for tips for a pain-free period!

As I’ve stated before, I am all about finding natural products to help improve my life and get me feeling awesome. I love that this product has a blend of vitamins and other herbs to help reduce pain and really leave you feeling awesome!

Magnesium, ginger and black cohosh root can all be excellent for pain relief and are even better when combined. It took a little bit of time for these pills to kick in but once they did I felt great!

#3 Dehydrating Herbs

This has been something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time now! I have loved using my dehydrator for fruits and vegetables and it was only a matter of time until I wanted to move on to dehydrating my own herbs!

I bought a bunch of oregano the other day at work and couldn’t use it all at once and needed to do something with it before it went bad. Dehydrating seemed like a great option! And boy I’m glad I did!

Freshly dried oregano has an amazing smell that store bought just can’t compete with. There is no comparison between the diy version and mass produced. I simply took the oregano, left the leaves on the stems and dehydrated them for 48 hours.

After 48 hours, I simply tore the leaves off the stems and used a coffee grinder to get the right consistency and popped it into a spice jar. So simple! I am super excited to use this extra potent oregano soon on something special!

I have this dehydrator and I really love it, it’s not super loud, dries evenly and requires very little supervision. Highly recommended!

#4 Keto Blueberry Muffins via Christina Curp of Castaway Kitchen

I don’t make many Keto baked goods because I typically don’t love the ingredients they are made out of. I typically follow a whole food approach to eating and non-caloric sweeteners (like erythritol, Swerve and monk fruit) that tend to be in most Keto baked goods.

This recipe, however, uses totally real, whole food ingredients!! I was happy to find Christina’s work as few months back and have been loving her approach to food and cooking. After I saw the ingredient list I knew I had to make these muffins!

Her newest book Made Whole focuses on using real food to help heal and manage autoimmune disease and promote healing from the inside out. Absolutely go check out Christina’s work and her website here. She is a talented lady, using her skills as a former chef to help progress the world of healthy eating! We need more Christinas in the world.

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Monday Musings 9.3.18

Quick and easy is the name of the game today! Lots of work and packing to get done before the fiancé and I head off to Bozeman, MT for a week! We are doing a bit of a work “vacation” so not totally leisurely but I’m sure it will still be a blast!

Hope you are having a GREAT Labor Day!

#1 Figs

Stiiilllll obsessed with figs over here. I just am loving the late summer produce and have never really appreciated figs before now! I feel like I have been missing out biiig time.

Figs are great sources of fiber and are a good source of magnesium, calcium, manganese, copper and potassium! Not to mention they contain a fair bit of Vitamin K and B6.

I have made my amazing Paleo Harvest Bread, Fig Chia Pudding and Strawberry Fig Chia Jam! I am seriously loving all the figs I can get right now!

#2 Sunflower Seed Butter

I’m talking the suuuper delish homemade stuff! I am still following my seed cycling pretty closely (more here) and have been enjoying making my own sunflower seed butter.I find that soaked and dehydrated seeds work better for my digestion (more on the benefits of soaking and sprouting here).

I also like being able to control the sweetness level and whatever else goes into it! I have paired it with vanilla powder, a touch of honey and it is pure gold! Paired with my Strawberry Fig Chia Jam I am in heaven.

#3 Cinnamon Roasted Plantains

Game changer alert!! Instead of the typical savory plantains that I have been making, I decided to play to the natural sweetness of ripe plantains (dark brown or black color) by adding coconut oil and cinnamon! Roasted in an oven for ~30 minutes (flip once halfway!) they are pretty addictive!

I love plantains as a healthy source of carbohydrates and love that cinnamon can help reduce the insulin spike that can come with carbohydrates. Seriously, try it out, it won’t disappoint!

#4 Huney Jun Kombucha (w/CBD)

I talked last week about some of the benefits of CBD and am JAZZED to have found a type of kombucha with added CBD!

Jun is a type of fermented tea, similar to kombucha, but is brewed with only honey and green tea. Typical kombucha uses black tea and cane sugar for brewing. I have been absolutely loving the Huney Jun brand, they are based out of Leavenworth, WA, and can’t get enough!

I really love having a kombucha or jun after a hard workout and the added CBD has had a huge benefit on my recovery and how I feel the day after trying really hard climbing or running! I can tell my muscles are less inflamed and I am ready to try hard again the next day instead of feeling sluggish.

Monday Musings 8.27.18

It finally rained in Spokane and I couldn’t be happier! The air quality has been less than ideal (reaching almost 400 on the index last week) and is now hovering below 70. Rain + forest fires = gooooood.

Other than that though, it’s been a busy week! Lots of work and little play. Though there will be time for play soon. We are headed to Bozeman, MT for a week starting next Tuesday! Should be a very fun trip filled with climbing and friends.

#1 Pumpkin Spice Apple Chips

I am soooo obsessed with pumpkin pie spice lately. I can feel fall in the air and I am ALL IN!

I pulled out my dehydrator and used a mandolin to slice apple slices really thin then simply sprinkled some pumpkin pie spice on and let the dehydrator do its thing! I left it for 48 hours to ensure really crispy chips.

Such a delightful fall treat!

#2 Rhythm Superfoods Carrot Sticks

I am all about the dried foods lately. Rhythm Superfoods just introduced a line of new baked, not fried, dried vegetables.

I kid you not, carrots taste so sweet and like candy when dried! They are perfectly crunchy and just make me so happy to eat. Full of fiber, potassium and beta carotene. They come in Naked, Sea Salt and Ranch flavors.

If you see them at the store, you won’t regret it! Rhythm Superfoods also makes super delicious kale and beet chips!

#3 Against All Grain’s Green Chile Chicken Soup

Seriously WOW! Danielle from Against All Grain seriously knocked it out of the park on this one. While I can’t share her recipe from her book Meals Made Simple I can tell you to go and check it out and make this recipe!!

This soup is good enough to make in the summer. I’ve actually been making it at least once a week for the last few months and LOVE having leftovers to bring to work. Instead of using the suggested slow cooker method, I have tested it in the Instant Pot and can make it from fresh or frozen chicken thighs in 17 minutes!

Plantains, green chilis, chicken thighs, parsnip and jalapeño come together to make such a mouth watering bowl. When it’s done I top it with lime juice and cilantro. So yum!

#4 Iced Rooibos Chai Tea

I love making a big pitcher of tea and keeping in the fridge for on-the-go drinks during the week!

I have been using ~5 tea bags, steeping in hot water for 5 minutes and then refrigerating in a glass container. When I want an iced chai drink I simply take the chai mix concentrate, add coconut milk some stevia and collagen! I either blend or use a hand mixer and then pour over ice.

Much cheaper than ordering out and really easily customize-able!

#5 Acupuncture

This one is a new one I have been experimenting with for back pain. After my car accident in December of last year, I have been experiencing significant lower back pain. Finally after an MRI, I discovered I have a compressed disc along with arthritis.

It gets pretty inflamed and still hasn’t healed so I have been seeking out alternative options to relieve pain. I started a few weeks back and have been waiting to see how the treatments progress.

So far I haven’t had felt any noticeable difference, but I remain optimistic that acupuncture can give me some relief. Being a person that reeeaaallly doesn’t like needles, I have been at least impressed with my ability to control my headgame and tackle this fear.

The needles are very small (10 acupuncture needles can fit in a standard needle head) and you can hardly feel where they go in. Since this type of treatment has been around for a long time, I appreciate the history and consider it a healing art.

One thing I am very appreciative of is the forced relaxation period that comes with my appointment times. Moving with the needles in place is not advised (or really even feasible – believe me, I tried ha!), so I stay very still and try to relax my mind and allow the acupuncture to take its effect.

#6 CBD Topical Cream

You might be wondering what CBD is – CBD stands for Cannabidiol and is the non-psychoactive component to marijuana. The other part (the part that will get you “high”) is THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol.

Applied topically, CBD has amazing potential to lower inflammation and relieve pain. I have been using one with a coconut oil carrier base and it has been working wonders on my back pain.

I do not enjoy smoking marijuana or ingesting it but am perfectly happy to use an ointment with really clean ingredients.

The brand I have been loving is Ceres and they make numerous different products for different ailments. The topical I’ve been using is for deep tissue relief and is called Dragon Balm. It also contains menthol (for a cooling sensation), camphor and mint oil.

Not sure how I would manage this back pain without this product!! Since I am pretty opposed to taking pain meds or steroids at this point. While it is quite easy to purchase in Washington state, laws in other states will likely make purchasing this product quite difficult. Though if you are in a pro-marijuana state I highly recommend giving it a try next time you have some persisting pains!

Monday Musings 4.16.18

I think we accidentally took our vacation to the rainforest instead of the usually sunny Pacific Northwest. Hopefully all the rain pays off for this summer because it is rally making climbing during our trip very difficult!

We have a lot of downtime. Almost too much downtime… we have found ourselves getting pretty antsy this week to just be outside and climb and enjoy nature like we has planned to. Which brings me to the first musing of the week!

1. Learning to Plan Less

I’m a planner to the core. I love having my days laid out before I start them and am rarely very spontaneous. I like the idea of “sticking with the plan” instead of “winging it.” The last few weeks have been (trying) teaching me to let go of my plans and let go of factors I cannot control.

Factors such as weather, car problems and other unknowns will always happen. I am not able to control when or how they happen but I am able to control my reaction to them and find other things to occupy my time.

Since the weather report hasn’t been exactly accurate we have been trying to be more opportunistic with our climbing sessions and try to find window of climbing time more “in the moment” instead of planning a day or days ahead.

Though my Type A personality doesn’t love this, it is a good lesson in “loosening” that I think my mind an body are appreciating. I get very attached to routines and schedules and they can start to feel restrictive if I don’t take a step back sometimes and reevaluate how and why I do things.

2. Dry Brushing

I’m pretty proud of myself for this one! I have been trying to get myself to dry brush for a few years now and have finally made the time to perform this self-care act!

Dry brushing benefits include removing dead skin, exfoliation, improved blood circulation, lymphatic drainage and can even help reduce cellulite.

I bought my brush at Target, so this is not a sponsored post, and have been incorporating just 5 minutes a day so far for the past week. I have noticed smoother skin already and an overall calm feeling after completing. I absolutely look forward to doing this daily and want to keep this habit up!

3. Magnesium Supplement

If you do not care to read about female menstrual cycle please feel free to skip ahead.

For a lot of women, menstrual symptoms can put lives on pause and require an enormous amount of effort just to “treat” the symptoms that come every month.

Cramps, bloating, mood swings, acne, excessive hunger, low energy and headaches are just some of the symptoms experienced monthly by many women. Largely known as PMS (pre-menstrual symptoms), I have been experimenting lately to reduce my symptoms each month to create a more pleasant and smooth transition into my menstrual cycle.

That being said, I am not of hormonal birth control and have not been for years. I have natural periods that are relatively predictable. While I am happy to have a period and know that my body is healthy enough to potentially support life, I don’t very much enjoy being in pain leading up to an during my period.

Enter: supplements. With a caveat – I eat an almost completely whole foods based diet, very low in refined sugar and free of refined wheat. I have largely identified foods that do not agree with my body and have a decent handle on sugar cravings, I believe that I support my body in being healthy and would suggest a diet change before turning to suppleness to help with PMS.

That being said, let’s talk about Magnesium! Largely touted as a calming and anti-anxiety suppleness, magnesium has been used for years to reduce cramping and promote a calm mind. Since I largely struggle with pretty debilitating cramping, I started doing some research. I found the Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden to be extremely helpful.

Dr. Briden suggests using magnesium prior to and during the menstrual cycle to reduce cramping by reducing the amount of prostaglandins that are released into the uterus. Prostaglandins help the uterus to contract but can cause inflammation and pain.

Ive been using Natural Vitality Natural Calm products for the past month, not daily but at least a few rimes a week and more so during my cycle to reduce my symptoms and am happy to report that I did find some relief! While not totally gone, my symptoms are generally less painful and I am able to function more normally than I have been in the past.

Of course there are many factors that determine the severity of PMS in women like stress, diet, activity level and more, I am pretty happy to have found something natural to help me feel better quicker. See next topic for the food I’ve been loving lately to add iron back into my diet during my time of the month.

4. Love Beets

Beets are high in iron. Ladies need iron during certain times of the month. Enough said on that for now 😉

Seriously loving the convenience of Love Beets packages of steamed beets. I have been eating them plain or tossed in a salad! The pre-cooked beets make #vanlife much easier.

Beets also are a great source of starchy carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index. This means they are a great source of carbohydrates but won’t spike blood sugar like refined carbohydrates do.

Before we left for our road trip I made an amazing beet soup made with Love Beets and coconut cream. It was so simple and took only 5 minutes. Check out the recipe at the bottom of the post!

5. Vanilla Powder

Ground vanilla beans mean amazing vanilla flavor in everything! I have been using this in my coffee daily and have been adding it to just about everything I think could use a vanilla boost.

It’s amazing in baked goods, smoothies, coffee and on fruit. It’s a little spendy but a bottle seems to last forever! it’s been a great investment so far.

I bought this brand.

6. Watermelon Water

New to me, but oh so delicious! Watermelon water is packed full of potassium and is incredibly hydrating. Potassium is an electrolyte and can help prevent muscle fatigue. I have been loving the brand WTR MLN for my climbing sessions to stay hydrated and love that there is no added sugar!

Watermelon water is also high in lycopene, an amino acid and l-citruline that helps the cardiovascular system and retaining bone density.

7. #vanlife Meals

Here are some of my meals this week! We have been loving trying to get as many veggies in as possible!

Simple Beet Soup

(PALEO, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, WHOLE30 option, GRAIN FREE, VEGAN)

SERVES 2

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES            COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

Ingredients:

2 packages Love Beets pre-cooked Beets

½ c. coconut milk, canned or from a carton

½ tsp. sea salt

Optional ingredients:

Cooked protein like chicken, shredded pork or ground beef

Avocado

Pumpkin seeds

¼ c. collagen protein

Fresh Mint or Dill

Olive Oil

Method:

1. Place packages of beets in blender and blend until completely smooth.
2. Using a medium saucepan, heat over medium heat until warmed through.
3. Add coconut milk to blender to emulsify if from a can (make sure you wash the blender out first!)
4. Swirl coconut milk into soup and top with desired toppings! I love mine with shredded or cubed chicken, avocado and some olive oil.

Travel Eats + Van Life (So Far)

Hello from Leavenworth! We decided to take our vacation just a few hours away from our home base and always LOVE coming to this special little Bavarian town.

We have been traveling (and living out of!) our van since this last Saturday and it’s been a journey already! A lot of little bumps and a bit of a learning curve but we are now making everything run pretty smoothly and nourish our bodies well on this trip!

We have avoided eating out almost completely (except for one time where we were offered a free meal in exchange for some work) and have been really happy with how well prepared we are!

Having snacks and quick meals during the day is really important to me as well as being able to make a nutrient dense dinner with some meat and vegetables (and carbs is if was a climbing day!).

In our van we (meaning the fiancé…) have installed solar power panels and a battery that can convert that energy into useable energy for appliances. We are using a butane powered gas stove for our cooking appliance but are able to use solar to power our Nutri-Bullet blender (bulletproof coffee, duh!), coffee grinder, charge our phones, laptops and other small appliances.

It’s really fun to have some modern conveniences in the van like the solar power but we still are doing it pretty “old school” with a conventional cooler and bins for snacks/non-refrigerated items. I figured out pretty early that in order for the cooler to keep food fresh the longest and avoid the dreaded ice melt, water leakage problem that I needed to somehow separate the water from the food.

After some brainstorming I went a bought a metal grill grate to place on top of the bag of ice and then place all the refrigerated goods on top of the grate. This way the ice can melt and the food will not be sitting in water all day. Pretty proud of myself on this one 😉

In terms of refrigerated goods we like to keep certain things on hand that we know we can grab in a rush or in the morning when boiling water for coffee sounds like just a bit too much work. In the mornings we love having Chameleon Cold Brew, coconut milk in aseptic packages, breakfast sausage and pre-cooked bacon. We usually add in some sweet potatoes (cooked up the night before), some greens and maybe some dried fruit.

For grab and go lunches between climbing sessions we love having Applegate lunch meat, cut up raw veggies (carrots, cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas), dried fruit like dates, pineapple and mangoes and some form of nut butter.

Dinners look like meals we would cook at home! We’ve had a lot of luck because the grocery store in town carries a lot of pre cut veggies that we can include in our meals if we don’t feel like doing a lot of the prep work ourselves. We’ve had pork chops with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts and chicken thighs with a cabbage mixture and sweet potato spirals.

We generally combine a quicker cooking protein like chicken thighs or breasts, pork chops or ground meat with at least two types of veggies. On longer climbing days we like to include denser carbohydrates like sweet potatoes or rice with dinner so we can recover and refuel for the next day.

Dinner usually takes about 20 minutes start to finish and only uses one pan! I like only having minimal dishes to wash after dinner and one pan meals do the trick! I will try to remember to take pictures of the meals for later reference!

We also always love to have condiments on hand – they make every meal just that much better! Our favorites include Tessemae’s Ketchup, BBQ Sauce and Balsamic Vinaigrette as well as coconut aminos (just like soy sauce but without the soy or wheat!) and sriracha. These fit nicely in the cooler and stay spill proof as long as they are kept upright.

I snapped a quick picture of some of the staples we like to keep in our non-perishable food bin. Zing bars and Rx bars are mainly for the fiancé as I tend to do better keeping nuts at a minimum. I love having jerky bars and meat sticks for a quick protein boost and tuna that I can mix with avocado! Healthy fats and protein = win. We (of course) have dark chocolate for an after dinner treat, dried fruit (pineapple, mangoes and dates are our faves) and a jar of peanut butter hidden deep in there. I also brought some cassava chips for a fun carb-heavier snack and some white rice to include in a dinner stir fry.

I also always bring sweet potatoes (because I basically live off them!), tea bags and plenty of other supplements.

Must-haves for me include collagen, apple cider vinegar, electrolytes, magnesium, melatonin and ghee! I also brought plenty of spices – salt, magic mushroom powder, bagel spice, curry powder, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

So far we’ve really enjoyed our time spent in the van and I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of trying to stay healthy while on the road! I prioritize the fact that food is fuel, eat when I am hungry, don’t worry about calories and try to keep stress at a minimum!

Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola (Paleo) + Tips on Soaking and Sprouting Nuts and Seeds

Oh I totally went there! Pumpkin spice season runs pretty much all year round in my mind. And, hey, if you don’t like pumpkin spice, just use cinnamon. Everyone wins!

First off, let’s chat details about this granola. This isn’t your typical carbohydrate, sugar laden oat bomb of a snack. It’s made with soaked and dehydrated (optional) pumpkin and sunflower seeds, coconut, chia seeds and honey. Healthy fats, fiber and just a touch of sweetness. It’s perfection.

I say sprouting the seeds is optional because it’s relatively labor intensive. Not necessarily with hands-on time but it does take some thought beforehand. I usually soak and dehydrate a big batch of seeds at once and store them in the freezer for later usage. I love using seeds that have been prepared this way because it makes them incredibly easy to digest. By soaking seeds (nuts can be soaked too!) you break down the phytic acid that is present as a defense mechanism in all seeds and nuts.

Phytic acid acts as a safeguard for the nut or seed until proper growing conditions are present and germination can occur. This safeguard is great for a growing plant or seed but when ingested into the human body it binds to minerals and becomes a phytate. This process can stop nutrients from being absorbed in the digestive system and reduce the digestibility of these foods. Read: there a tons of nutrients in nuts and seeds but phytic acid reduces the ability of your body to absorb these nutrients or break them down properly!

The soaking process also helps to neutralize enzyme inhibitors that is useful in breaking down food. Soaking for even 7 hours can help reduce these inhibitors and greatly boost the nutrient availability in these foods. I don’t know about you but I am ALL ABOUT getting the most out of my food. I am a self-proclaimed nutrient seeker and want to help my body be the healthiest it can possibly be.

So, how do you soak seeds and nuts? It’s really simple, actually! All you need is some filtered water and some sea salt. The combination of warm water and salt helps to break down the enzymes that can be so tough to digest. As a general guideline, for every one cup of nuts or seeds you will need 1½ -2 cups of warm, filtered water and ½ tablespoon sea salt.

Place seeds, warm water and salt in a glass jar or bowl and let sit at room temperature for 7-24 hours. After letting sit out, rinse the seeds or nuts and either use a dehydrator to remove the remaining moisture or an oven on a low setting. Typically 150°F for an hour or two will do the trick.

Again, I like to do large batches of nuts and seeds at a time that I get from the bulk bins and will soak them overnight and then fire up the dehydrator in the morning. This process takes about 2 full days, but is really worth it when I know my body doesn’t have to work as hard to digest and absorb the food that I’m putting into it!

If you don’t feel like soaking or dehydrating your seeds for this recipe, don’t sweat it. The granola will still taste FANTASTIC!

Paleo Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Granola

(PALEO, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, NUT-FREE, LOW SUGAR)

SERVES 4

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES (+ up to 2 days for soaking/dehydrating)            COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

Ingredients:

½ cup pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas), soaked and dehydrated

½ cup sunflower seeds, soaked and dehydrated

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 tbs. chia seeds

2 tbs. coconut oil, ghee or butter, melted

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¼ tsp. sea salt

½ cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. If soaking and dehydrating, follow instructions above at least a day in advance.
2. After completely drying the seeds preheat oven to 300° and line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine all ingredients, except raisins, in bowl and mix until it comes together. At this point you can either choose to leave as is, or pulse a few times in a food processor or blender to break up into smaller pieces. I chose to run it through a blender for a few seconds.
4. Spread out as flat as possible on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
5. For crunchy clusters of granola: don’t touch or stir after baking until completely cooled!! This allows the granola to clump together and not just break apart.
6. Once cooled completely, add raisins or chocolate chips and stir to combine (you don’t want to add raisins in until last because they will become overly dry in the oven)
7. Enjoy with your choice of milk in the morning as a fun breakfast or as a midday snack!