December 08, 2017

Cooking with Krystal: Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

December 08, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients-

For the filling:

• 1/3 cup dates, chopped

• 5 tablespoons maple syrup ( in place of sugar)

• 1/4 cup coconut oil ( in place of butter or oil, and healthy MCT oils)

• 1 tablespoon almond milk (in place of dairy)

• 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped

For the cookie base:

• 2 1/4 cup blanched almond flour, gently packed ( in place of white flour)

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 5 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature ( healthy MCT oil)

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup ( in place of sugar)

• 1-2 tablespoons almond milk ( in place of dairy)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions-

To make the filling:

1 Cover the chopped dates in 1 cup of hot water and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

2 In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and almond milk. Stir until the coconut oil is just melted and then remove from heat.

3 Drain and discard the hot water from the dates, and place the dates in a blender with the saucepan contents. Blend until smooth, pour back into the saucepan (so you don’t dirty another bowl) and then stir in the sea salt and chopped pecans. Set aside.

To make the cookie base and form the cookies:

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2 In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond meal, sea salt, and baking soda. Whisk in the coconut oil until the dough resembles coarse crumbs.

3 Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk. Start with 1 tablespoon of almond milk and add another tablespoon only if the dough needs more moisture to pull it together.

4 Roll the dough into balls (using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough each) and place on the cookie sheet. Flatten the balls of dough and use your fingers to make a well (or indentation) in the middle of the cookies.

5 Generously fill the cookies with the pecan pie filling (and I do mean generously fill, otherwise you will be left with a lot of filling left over).

6 Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown.

7 Allow the cookies to completely cool on the cookie sheet (otherwise they will fall apart).

About Krystal

Krystal has a passion for healthy living and wellness and obtained her Bachelors of Science in nutrition from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Her national certification through NCSF as a CPT, along with another in the world-renowned TRX training system and AAHFF for nutrition, make Krystal a versatile fitness professional. Visit her website, K's Kwik Klean Kitchen to learn more about her!

November 16, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Mediterranean Bowl

November 16, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Mediterranean Bowl

Servings 4

Bowl Ingredients:

1 package frozen cauliflower rice
2 cups fresh green beans
1 lb organic 99% fat free ground turkey
1/2 red onion diced
1c roasted chickpeas
3-4 sprigs fresh oregano
1/4c thrive algae oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Hummus Vinaigrette :

1/2 container organic hummus
1/3c apple cider vinegar
zest of a lemon
3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano chopped finely
2 tbsp algae oil
1tsp sea salt
1tsp pepper

Instructions:

Cook turkey meat on medium heat in a skillet with 1/2 of the red onion. Chopping up the turkey meat as you go to be sure it is cooked throughly.
Meanwhile add package of cauliflower rice to a saucepan on medium heat and cover for about 8-10 mins stirring occasionally.
Once meat is finished wash pan and add a little more oil to your pan and place your green beans in with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for about 10-12 mins until beans are thoroughly cooked.
While beans are cooking mix all hummus vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl until mixed well and set aside.
Once everything has cooked add it all to a bowl. Top with the remaining ingredients as in the rest of the red onion, oregano,roasted chickpeas and hummus vinaigrette and enjoy!

About Krystal

About Krystal
Krystal has a passion for healthy living and wellness and obtained her Bachelors of Science in nutrition from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Her national certification through NCSF as a CPT, along with another in the world-renowned TRX training system and AAHFF for nutrition, make Krystal a versatile fitness professional. Visit her website, K's Kwik Klean Kitchen to learn more about her!

November 02, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Kale Donuts with a Matcha Glaze

November 02, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Kale Donuts

with a matcha glaze

makes 12 donuts

Ingredients

Donuts:

1c almond flour

1/2c tapioca flour

1/4c coconut flour

1tsp baking powder

1/4tsp sea salt

1/2c almond milk

1/4c coconut oil melted

2 cups baby kale

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 droplets of liquid stevia

Glaze:

1 scoop whey protein (I used jay robbs vanilla)

1/2tsp matcha powder (I used four sigmatic matcha with lions mane)

1 tbsp almond milk or to desired consistency

1 tsp ghee melted

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly spray donut pan with coconut oil spray.
In a large bowl combine almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
In a blender mix almond milk, coconut oil, and kale. Mix until it is completely smooth and green.
Add in eggs, stevis, and vanilla and pulse in.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and gently mix until combined. Let your mixture stand for about 5 mins.
Evenly divide batter into your donut pan filling each mold about 3/4 of the way full.
Bake for about 10-15 mins.
Let sit in the mold for about 5 mins before transferring to a cooling rack.
While donuts are cooling you will then start on the glaze by mixing all ingredients together except for the milk.
Slowly add in the almond milk a little at a time, making sure you get the right consistency to have a good glaze.
Spread the glaze on after donuts have cooled and enjoy!

October 11, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Pumpkin Coconut Curry

October 11, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Pumpkin Coconut Curry

with herbed salmon and cauliflower rice

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Curry

• 1 yellow onion chopped

• 2 tbsp crushed garlic

• 1 cup chopped carrots

• 1 can organic unsalted diced tomatoes

• 1 15oz can organic pumpkin puree

• 1 13.5oz can unsweetened coconut milk

• 1 tbsp curry

• tsp ghee

• 1/2 tbsp ginger

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/4teaspon cayenne

Salmon:

• 1lb wild caught salmon

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

Cauliflower rice:

• 1 bag frozen cauliflower riced

• 1 tsp ghee

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 405 F for salmon.

2. While oven is preheating spray a large cooking pan with coconut oil spray and heat at medium heat.

3. Combine all ingredients in the pan and let cook on medium heat for 12-15mins.

4. Meanwhile as the sauce cooks combine cauliflower and ghee in a sauce pan on medium heat and cover for 10-12 mins.

5. Also while sauce is cooking place salmon filet on sprayed baking sheet and sprinkle with herbs and spices and bake at 405F for 10-12 mins covered.

6. Once everything is finished cooking place riced cauliflower in bowl top with curry and salmon and enjoy!

October 04, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Stuffed Acorn Squash

October 04, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Stuffed Acorn Squash

with a carrot and fennel puree

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Squash

• 2 acorn squash

• 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms sliced

• 1 cup brussel sprouts sliced

• 1/3 yellow onion sliced

• 2 tbsp garlic

• 2 tbsp chopped sage

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp sea salt

• pepper to taste

Carrot Puree

• 3 cups chopped carrots

• 11/2c chopped fennel bulb

• 1/2c diced yellow onion

• 1 tsp ground thyme

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3c low sodium chicken broth

• 1/2c coconut cream

• 2 tbsp ghee

• zest of 1 lemon and 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/2tsp sea salt

• pepper to taste

Instructions:

Carrot Puree:

1. Combine carrots, fennel, yellow onion, thyme, and olive oil in a pan and cook over medium heat until carrots are tender ( 30 mins).

2. Then season with sea salt, pepper, and thyme. Add in chicken broth to pan and cook down to 3/4 over medium-high heat ( 10mins). A good rule of thumb is when the carrots fall apart when you mash them with a fork they are considered done.

3. Pour ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth and add back to the cooking pan this time on low heat while adding in coconut cream, ghee, and lemon. Let simmer for about another 8-10 mins.

4. Plate about 1c of puree to each plate before placing squash on top.

Squash:

1. Pre heat oven to 425 and spray a cooking sheet with coconut oil cooking spray.

2. Cut the both squash in half to give you 4 halves and remove seeds from each half with a spoon.

3. Basteeach half with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.

4. Meanwhile, in a large cooking pan, spray with cooking spray and add together mushrooms, onion, brussels, andgarlic on medium heat. Let simmer for about 12-15mins.

5. Once all has cooked place mushrooms, brussels, and onions evenly throughout each squash half while adding sage and olive oil. Enjoy!

September 28, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Herbed Turbot

September 28, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Herbed Turbot

with roasted vegetables and purple potato fries

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Fish

• 1lb turbot filet

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp crushed thyme

• 1 tsp crushed oregano

• 1 tbsp crushed garlic

• 1 tbsp ghee

Vegetable Medley

• 1 bundle broccoli cut into chunks

• 1c baby carrots sliced in half

• 2 yellow squash cut into slices

• 1/4 onion cut into slices

• 1 tbsp crushed garlic

• 1/2c bone broth ( I like Bonafide Provisions )

Fries

• 2 purple sweet potatoes cut into fry shapes

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Fish

1. Preheat oven to 400F and prepare fish by placing it on a baking sheet sprayed with coconut oil cooking spray.

2. Sprinkle with sea salt,pepper, thyme, and oregano. Then cover with another baking sheet, and place in oven for 12-15 mins.

3. Take fish out again and leave uncovered for another 2-3 mins to give it a little crispiness to the top.

4. Check for fish to have no opacity throughout the center for doneness.

Vegetables

1. Chop all vegetables and place in sauté pan that has been sprayed with the same cooking oil as the fish on medium heat.

2. Pour in bone broth , garlic, sea salt, pepper, and ghee. Let the vegetables simmer with a top on the pan for about 10-15 mins.

3. Check the doneness of the vegetables to your liking. Some may like them a little crunchy and some may like them all the way cooked.

Fries

1. Cut your sweet potatoes length wise into fry shapes and set on a sprayed baking sheet.

2. Sprinkle fries with sea salt and pepper. Cover with another baking sheet or aluminum foil and cook for 15-18 mins on 400F in oven.

3. Once fries are done drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!

September 13, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Basil Chicken Zoodles

September 13, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Basil Chicken Zoodles

with an almond lemon basil alfredo sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Pasta/Chicken

• 2-3 medium zucchinis

• 1lb chicken

• zest of one lemon

• 1/4c green onion chopped

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

Sauce

• 3 tbsp kite hill almond cream cheese

• 1/2c low sodium or sodium free chicken broth ( can add more if to thick)

• 1/4c green onion chopped

• 1/4c chopped basil

• juice from half of a lemon

• tsp sea salt

• tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp crushed garlic

Instructions:

1. Warm a medium saute pan at medium heat.

2. Meanwhile use your zucchinis to make your “zoodles” ( I used my kitchenaid mixer with the spiralizer attachment.)

3. Add your chicken to your heated saute pan with all pasta/chicken ingredients except for your zoodles. Cook and flip for about 15-20 mins until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

4. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan combine all sauce ingredients and let simmer on low-medium heat until all ingredients are melted and combined well. If it still seems too thick you can still add more of the chicken broth to help thin it out.

5. After the chicken is cooked, set aside on a plate and now use the same saute pan to cook your zoodles. Add them to the pan and cook covered for about 8-10 mins. on low-medium heat.

6. Once all are cooked put your zoodles in a bowl and mix in chicken then top with your sauce and add extra fresh basil for some added flavor. Enjoy!

September 06, 2017

Cooking With Krystal: Cauliflower Rice and Fig Harvest Bowl

September 06, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Happy hump day everyone! Today we're starting a new series on the blog called Cooking With Krystal, where we will post yummy recipes that are easy to make and, even better, healthy for you. We'd like to introduce you to Krystal Goodman. Krystal and PJ dated back in high school and have remained super close since then.

She's in insane shape and always makes the tastiest, healthiest food. In fact, she's so good at it that she launched K's Kwik Klean Kitchen, a personalized meal-prep business, in the fall of 2014. You can find her on Instagram at @k_goodnutrition.

A little more about Krystal...

Krystal has a passion for healthy living and wellness and obtained her Bachelors of Science in nutrition from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She also has experience in Nutritional Counseling, Clean Cooking, and received her Personal Training Certification. Her national certification through NCSF as a CPT, along with another in the world-renowned TRX training system and AAHFF for nutrition, make Krystal a versatile fitness professional.

Moreover, Krystal launched K’s Kwik Klean Kitchen in the fall of 2014, creating the perfect clean-eating meal-prep and meal plan solution for life’s demanding schedules. From weekly meals, to serving individuals with her nutritional expertise in meal planning and counseling; catering to each and every need. Nationally certified by the American Academy of Health and Wellness, Krystal’s knowledge of nutrition extends far beyond her incredible penchant for cooking.

Krystal has also shown her expertise at Blackberry Farm, an award winning five star bed and breakfast known for its nutrition and wellness, as their personal trainer and nutritionist. On the farm she leads group fitness classes ranging from an outdoor high intensity class to an aqua fit class. With her nutrition knowledge, she leads nutrition lectures, one-on-one nutrition consultations, and juicing sessions for guests.

Today, she's making a cauliflower rice and fig harvest bowl. Um, yum. Check it out:

Cauliflower Rice and Fig Harvest Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Bowl

• 1 package frozen or raw riced cauliflower

• 1 lb chicken

• 1c chicken bone broth ( low sodium)

• 1 large sweet potato cubed

• 1 net full of brussel sprouts thinly sliced

• 1-2 figs sliced thinly

• 1/3c pistachios

• 1-2 cloves garlic crushed

• tsp sea salt

• tsp pepper

Fig and Thyme Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/3c extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2c balsamic vinegar

• 3-4 sliced figs ( depending on how sweet you would like it)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp thyme

Instructions:

1. Prep your veggies: chop the brussels and sweet potatoes to have them ready for cooking. Heat a skillet at medium heat .

2. Spray your skillet with cooking spray and add in the sweet potatoes and brussels and cook until both are soft in the middle, about 15-20mins. Add a little olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic.

3. Meanwhile, heat another skillet at medium heat spray with cooking oil and add chicken tenders with a little olive oil, sea salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for about 12-15mins until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

4. In a sauce pan, heated at medium heat, add chicken broth, cauliflower rice, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Let it cook for about 10-12 mins until cauliflower is no longer hard.

5. In another sauce pan, at medium heat, start your vinaigrette by adding in all ingredients as it gets hot, and mash your figs to make it a thicker consistency. Once the figs are cooked down, let the sauce simmer on low until all other ingredients are done.

6. Once everything is completed, mix together in a bowl making 4 servings and enjoy!

Okay, brb, drooling all over the place. Is anyone else all of the sudden starving? We want to thank Krystal so much for sharing this recipe with us! We will definitely be adding this to one of our "we want to be healthy tonight" meals.

August 16, 2017

We Tried Intermittent Fasting for a Week and Here's How It Went

August 16, 2017/ PJ and Thomas McKay

Last week we read an article online (that for the life of us can't think of which one it is now) that talked about intermittent fasting and the pros and cons of it. We had never heard much about IF (intermittent fasting) before even though, we found out, it's pretty big in the health and fitness world (no wonder we've never heard of it ;) ).

But what is IF? Essentially it's a pattern of eating that cycles between periods of fasting and periods of eating, typically fasting for longer than you're eating. Many people probably already do this and don't even realize it. Surprisingly, PJ does this every day! He typically doesn't eat breakfast and won't eat his first meal until around lunch time.

Meanwhile, Thomas usually eats first thing in the morning because he's STARVING and can't function. Because he gets up so early (5:20a), he also eats a mid morning snack, and then lunch in the afternoon. So, because PJ already does IF on most days without even thinking, this post will be told from Thomas' POV. Let's get right to it!

I decided to do the 16/8 type of IF which is where you fast for 16 hours of the day and eat for the other 8. You can choose whatever time period works for you, but since you shouldn't typically eat after 8p anyway, I chose the (pretty standard) 12p-8p window for eating, and fasting from 8p-12p the next day. Something to note: I did still drink my coffee in the morning, and lots of it. I remember the article we read mentioned how they upped their coffee intake to take the place of no food and to make sure they still had enough energy. I usually drink 1-2 cups in the morning at most, but I was up to 3 cups for the first couple of days.

Alas, here is my day by day journal on how IF went for me:

Day 1

The fist day turned out to be surprisingly easy (said in my best Cady Heron voice), or at least a lot easier than I was expecting. I didn't really start getting hungry until around 10a and at that time i made more coffee. I tried to distract myself with my work but my stomach kept reminding me that it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. So then I began counting the minutes and by minutes I mean seconds until 12. I started to think maybe this IF wasn't for me, but decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and stick it out because it was literally only the first day. So, I decided to persist and give it another day.

Day 2

The second day was absolutely miserable. It was a lot harder than the first and to be honest, I almost caved 30 mins before 12p. I didn't, though, and I made it to lunch in the nick of time. Again, I just drank a lot of coffee which sort of helped, and sort of didn't. Besides being hungry, I was also kind of dizzy, bewildered, and weak. It was obviously due to the lack of food and energy I had, which resulted in me being very out of it and thinking about food WAY more than usual.

Day 3

This was the hardest day so, by far. The article we read said that around day 3 or 4 you start to lose the hunger you have and your body adjusts to not eating for so long, but I guess my body wasn't trying to adapt to anything like that because it just kept grumbling, LOUDLY. I wanted to eat so badly and I almost did, but my coworker talked me off the edge #thankGodforher.

Day 4

Did I say day 3 was the hardest? Well, it was. Up until day 4. I almost gave in TWICE. How could I go on for 3 more days? Again, my coworker had to help keep me in line and not give in to the hunger. I noticed I was very, very out of it that day, even more so than days 2 and 3. However, once you finally eat that first bite at 12, it tastes so good and it's very much worth the wait. It might be the best food you've ever tasted, even if it's just peanut butter and crackers.

Day 5

So I mentioned earlier that one of the reasons it felt so hard the first couple of days is because I start my days at 5:30 each morning, giving me plenty of time to get hungry before I eat my first meal at 12p. However, because day 5 was a Saturday, I took the liberty of sleeping in until 9! Which meant I only had 3 hours until I could eat! I had a small headache but overall this was the easiest day so far.

Day 6

Pretty similar to day 5. I slept in even later, I'm ashamed to admit (10!) but, we did stay up until 1a the night before and I kind of slipped and ate after 8p, so I didn't eat lunch until around 1p.

Day 7

Still very hungry. Still pretty delusional. Still pretty out of it. I figured I would be used to it by now but I really wasn't. And I found myself missing breakfast food pretty bad. I missed it so much that I had toast and oatmeal with banana for a snack after dinner. I might even have breakfast for dinner some time this week. Maybe for some people (me) it takes longer than a week to feel not so hungry before lunch (it does)?

Day 8

Just for kicks, I did one more day and see how it would go. Surprisingly, this was finally the day that I wasn't very hungry before lunch, and I only had 1 cup of coffee! This was by far the easiest day and has given me the moral boost I've needed to get through this whole trial. I plan on continuing it through the rest of the week, at least.

So that ends my IF diary. Have I seen any changes? Physically, I can't really tell a difference. I do notice that I'm hungrier faster after I eat each meal. Used to, I would be good to go for at least 4-6 hours after eating, but now I feel hungry about 2 hours after eating, so it must be affecting my metabolism? I'm not sure yet. I plan to keep doing IF and I'll keep you posted on how it progresses over time.

Below are a few helpful links, written by actual health professionals, if you want to learn more about IF and the benefits of it. We found them helpful and would like to further our knowledge on the subject in case we want to make this a long term thing. Have any of y'all tried IF before? What's your experience with it? We would love to hear your take on it!

Also, it's important to note: please be safe and take care of yourself when fasting for any length of time. If you feel like you're getting too lightheaded or dizzy, eat something. Just remember, your health is the most important thing!