My Favorite Fat Bomb Recipe

Ok, bear with me, gang, because this post has two recipes in one but they're really easy and one is actually optional.

I'm asked weekly what a Fat Bomb is, and/or, for the recipe so I decided it's time to finally do a blog post.  In a nutshell, a Fat Bomb is a healthy, legal, Ketogenic version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!  

And to expand, it's actually a small meal that can last two hours due to the high fat content, as opposed to a candy PB cup which spikes and then lowers your blood glucose levels.  

You can Google a myriad of fat bomb recipes, some fruity, some savory, but my husband and I love chocolate and peanut butter so this is our weekly go to.  Rob will have one every morning with his coffee while I prefer mine somewhere between lunch and dinner.  But whatever time of day you choose to indulge, this treat will easily buy you time until your next meal and tastes just like a cheat!

Before I get started on the recipe, a couple important key notes: keep them in the freezer!  Equally important, take one out of the freezer prior to indulging, but don't allow to thaw beyond 5-10 minutes or you could be eating it with a spoon.

I like to combine my ingredients in a saucepan over low heat to melt and incorporate all of the ingredients, but I've also cooked them in the microwave in a Pyrex and that works too.

Ok, ready????

Ingredients: (makes 9 fat bombs)

1/2 cup of solid coconut oil

1/2 cup of NATURAL Peanut Butter or Nut Butter of your choice

(natural nut butters contain nuts and possibly salt, NO other ingredients)

2-3 TBSP of Unsweetened cocoa powder

2 TBSP of Agave/Stevia 50/50 syrup

OR

Liquid Stevia drops to your level of preferred sweetness

also, IF you like texture, add:

1 TBSP of Chia Seeds (or)

2 TBSP of chopped/slivered nuts of choice (or)

Unsweetened coconut flakes (or)

Cacao Nibs

Ingredients for optional cream cheese filling:

1-8oz box of full fat cream cheese

2 TBSP of heavy whipping cream (I've even used 1/2&1/2)

1 TBSP of Agave/Stevia syrup

1 TBSP of Unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

Place the solid coconut oil and nut butter into saucepan and heat up on low until well blended.  Add the unsweetened cocoa powder and blend.  Add the agave/stevia syrup and blend.  Once blended, add your texture and mix until evenly distributed.

Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, pour mixture into 9 cupcake liners in a regular cupcake pan.  If you're not adding the cream cheese mixture, place in freezer for 2-3 hours and remember to take one out 5-10 minutes prior to eating.

BUT if you're adding the cream cheese mixture:

Take a new saucepan and melt the block of cream cheese.  As it starts to soften, add the heavy cream and mix well until you have a creamy mixture, no lumps.  You may even need to add a splash more of cream if mixture is too thick.  Next add your agave/stevia syrup and blend well.  Finally add your unsweetened cocoa powder.  The mixture should be the consistency of a pudding and will taste like  chocolate cheesecake.  Once thoroughly mixed, take a dollop and add to the center of each fat bomb. I like to sprinkle a little sliced almonds on top for added texture and presentation.

Place into freezer and freeze 2-3 hours.  Only remove from freezer upon eating, they will thaw in

 5-10 minutes.  

You really can't screw up this recipe.  It's totally customizable.  Need it sweeter? Add more Stevia and taste.  In fact, as long as you're tasting as you go along and like the taste, add or subtract what you want, BUT the ratio of solid coconut oil to nut butter should always be equal.

I can't wait to hear how you like them.  If you are a HUGE sweets or carb eater, these may taste bitter at first but many people have shared with me by the second or third day, they loved them and are now hooked.

Word of caution: this is a healthy and legal treat while doing a Keto diet.  If you are eating a traditional western diet of carbs and starches, this daily fat bomb can really pack on the calories, however, they're still much healthier than store-bought candy because at least you know what the ingredients are.

Please comment here and let me know how you like them.  Also, feel free to share this blog post with anyone you know doing a Keto diet OR who loves chocolate peanut butter cups!  

I appreciate your support and hope that this is A Good Fit

Paleo Pancakes {gluten free/grain free}

Mmmmm, pancakes!  I make them often for my daughter but since going Paleo in December, and doing the Whole 30 in January, I have been grain free for sometime.  How I don't cave and eat a bite of her's each time is sheer willpower I tell you!  Well, actually I don't eat her's because I know it will inflame my body and I quite like how I feel each morning being grain-free, so that is the true reason I am not tempted, BUT, I have craved pancakes for sometime now, however,  which recipe to choose when there are SO  many on the internet and Pinterest?

I started with the easiest, the Two-Ingredient Paleo Pancake.  It's just a mashed ripe banana and 2 organic eggs.  Whip together and griddle them up.  They were ok, kind of eggy-crepey when I was really seeking fluffier.  After that I tried the same recipe but took advice from other Paleo chefs and added vanilla extract and baking powder!  Ah ha!  Baking powder should help them rise making them more fluffy!  Not so much though.  They were only marginally better than the first recipe.

Since I've been making pancakes for over 40 years, I figured it needed some sort of flour and fortunately I had almond flour and coconut flour on hand.  Almond flour is a little too heavy and moist so going with my gut I grabbed the coconut flour.  If you are not a coconut fan you will hate the smell of coconut flour but I promise it cooks out.  In no way did my pancakes taste like coconut.

I basically took the second recipe and added a couple tablespoons of coconut flour and a splash of almond milk and the results were exactly what I was looking for!  Yay!  Fluffy grain-free pancakes that pack a protein punch and don't leave me feeling bloated and/or tired as regular wheat pancakes do.

There is a trick though, you have to make them small, around 3" diameter, and cook them on Low to Medium heat for 2 minutes each side.  Top with Kerry Gold grass fed butter and REAL maple syrup and you have yourself an ingredient list you understand, with no preservatives and no added sugar.

This is only a 10" skillet so they are under 3-4" each.

Get them good and golden brown so you know they're cooked on the inside.  

I'm going to make some for my family this weekend as the true test.  I absolutely love these and will be making them 1-2 a week for myself!  

Here is the recipe for 2 servings, it'll make around 8 pancakes but remember they are small so you can easily eat 4 each!

Ingredients: 

2 very ripe bananas

4 organic large eggs

1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2-4 teaspoons of coconut flour (you decide on thickness but too much makes them fall apart)

Splash of almond milk, possibly 1 TBSP 

Recipe:

In a non-stick pan (non stick works best, trust me, these will stick to your cast iron) heat up desired cooking oil (avoiding all vegetable/canola oils, corn, or soy), I use coconut oil but it does have a coconut flavor so you could use Avocado Oil or Grapeseed Oil.

Mash your bananas really well with fork or potato masher.  Add your eggs and whisk.  Add vanilla extract and baking powder, whisk.  Then add 2 teaspoons of coconut flour and whisk adding more if you like thicker, fluffier pancakes, but not too much more or they fall apart upon flipping.  I then add a splash of almond milk, just a splash (1 TBSP tops) because I like this consistency.  Eyeball it.  If too thin, add more flour, if too thick, add more almond milk.  Batter should not be too runny and it will have some small banana chunks which you don't noticed once cooked.

In a heated skillet, add batter until it's about 2-3" diameter.  These can be tricky to flip so the smaller, the easier.  When I made mine too large they ripped all apart during the flip.  Heat 2-2.5 minutes on first side, lift edge up with thin spatula to see if they're golden brown, if so, flip and heat another 2 minutes on the other side.  I top with Kerry Gold butter as they're still cooking and heat up REAL maple syrup (ingredients should only say "maple syrup" and nothing else).  

Plate, pour, and eat!  These are SO good!  Four small pancakes equal one serving as you're only getting 1 banana, 2 eggs, and a smidge of coconut flour.  Maple syrup does contain natural sugars so if you're trying to lose weight, go lite on the pour or top with fresh fruit!

I absolutely love these and will be serving them this with weekend to my family, with a side of bacon of course!  I won't tell them they are Paleo as not to influence their thinking.  I promise to report back and let you know what they think.  And please let me know what YOU think too!  I always appreciate feedback!

Didn't feel like wearing makeup this morning hence the filter BUT see how thick and fluffy they are?  Perfection!

Thanks for reading!  I hope this has been A Good Fit!

Oat-less Oats (aka-when you are SICK TO DEATH of eggs on the Whole 30)

Don't gross out, I PROMISE these are so good!

I am on Day 29 of my Whole 30 plan and am pretty excited to wrap this up but while it is still fresh in my mind I'd love to introduce you to oat-less oats.  What, you say?  Why can't you have oats on the Whole 30, they are a proven healthy grain?  Glad you asked.  The Whole 30 is a total nutrition reset and one of the rules is to get off of ALL grains, ALL means ALL.  Studies show that grains cause inflammation so by cutting them all out for 30 days allows you to really listen to your body.  Then in the re-introduction stage, you can slowly add a grain at a time back in to examine how your body reacts.  If you experience any discomfort or bloating, after lets say the example "gluten", then you will know that gluten is not a good choice for you going forward.  

The first two weeks of Whole 30 are pretty easy, especially if you're an egg eater!  We are encouraged to have 2-3 eggs per day, including the yolk which I've thrown countless away in my egg-whites stage of life.  Sorry little yolk!  Who knew how completely healthy you were?  I digress.

I love, love, love eggs but by week three I was growing tired of them and thats when a childhood friend posted a link to this recipe.  I Googled Egg Banana Scramble and pages of recipes came up so I'm not giving any one person credit for this recipe; listed below will be my version even though I'm not a recipe creator but I'm a darn good embellisher!

Now don't gag, mixing mashed banana with scrambled eggs sounded hideous to me at first too and my family gags each time I make this, but it really does feel like real oatmeal and without an ounce of grain.  Ready for the ingredients and recipe?  Here you go:

Ingredients:

1/2 TBSP of coconut oil (or ghee, clarified butter)

1 ripe banana (the riper the better)

2 eggs

Almond Milk (without Carrageenan if on Whole 30) 

1/2 TBSP Chia Seeds

1/4 cup of fresh berries of choice

1 TBSP of chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, you get it)

Instructions:

Melt your cooking fat in a pan over medium heat.  Add your banana and mash with a fork, hence the reason I listed "ripe", easier to mash. The banana will soften as you mash and cook.  

Next whisk 2 eggs in a bowl and pour into the pan with the mashed banana.  I like to lower heat at this point.  Cook as you would scramble eggs but, and this part is an important step, before the eggs set (not runny but not fully cooked) add in a splash of almond milk and add your chia seeds.  Cook until desired consistency.

Pour immediately into a bowl and add toppings of your choice plus a dash or two more of almond milk.  Mix it all up and dig in! 

*   *   *   *   *

Let me know if you try it.  My mom loved it and so did several people in my Whole 30 group.  It's SO good and I plan on making this even after my Whole 30 as I'm easing into a Paleo lifestyle. 

Please share with others, it helps me to grow my audience.  You can also add your email up top OR follow me on my Facebook Fit By 50 page where I discuss health and beauty tips! 

https://www.facebook.com/michellespielerfitby50/

Thanks for reading; I hope it was A Good Fit!

Michelle's Whole 30 Homemade Marinara {EASY}

Staple ingredients that I usually have at all time so I don't have to plan ahead.

This is my first time doing the Whole 30 and let me tell you, what a learning curve!  I've always considered myself a label-reader but this nutrition reset really heightens one's awareness.  Take marinara sauce for example, who knew that food companies added heaps of sugar to each jar?  I typically look for marinara sauce with the lowest sugar grams but on Whole 30 you cannot have ANY trace of sugar in the ingredient list.  Tomatoes have naturally occurring sugar so marinara will naturally have some but who knew how many companies ADDED sugar, and a LOT, to their sauces? What an eye opener!  Is it any wonder why Diabetes is on the rise?  

If you're a regular Aldi shopper like me, they have a great, compliant marinara in their Organics line. The label says Organic Marinara.  There is zero sugar in the ingredients and it's a pretty good sauce.  I've been buying it for years but our local Aldi is under construction and has been out of it so I just decided to start making my own.  We eat marinara at least once a week.  This recipe is easy but I'll be honest, not as convenient as twisting a lid off a ready made jar.  However, there is nothing as tasty as homemade.  Making your own marinara will require a blender or food processor, both of which I have though I prefer my processor for this sauce. 

Does anyone else wear these?  If you have sensitive eyes to onions, these are a must!

https://www.amazon.com/HAIXUN-Professional-Goggles-Endurance-Glasses/dp/B01F4QCFT8

I'm not even kidding you right now, I NEVER cut an onion without suiting up in my goggles!  My mom gave these to me back in 1999 when I complained about tearing all of my eye makeup off.  Only a makeup maven mom would understand my dire circumstances, I mean, I spend a lot of time on my mascara.  But I digress.....

Chop up a small yellow onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic.  I buy elephant garlic so I only need one clove.  Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté your onion for 2 minutes.  Add salt prior so that your onions get nice and sweaty!  Stir constantly, no one likes burnt onion in their marinara.  Next add the garlic and sauté with the onion for one minute only.  Then transfer to blender or processor.  

add salt to onion before sautéing for a good sweat

Open your big ol' can of tomatoes (check ingredients for zero sugar) and dump right into processor.  Then add your can of tomato paste.

I like a lot of seasoning. 

Into that add a big splash of balsamic vinegar, 1&1/2 TBSP of olive oil, and 1 TBSP of Italian Seasoning (more or less depending on your taste preference)

After that I pulse to a chunky consistency, I don't like liquidy sauce, but it's your sauce so you choose the texture.  

If you want plain marinara then transfer to a pot and heat it up stirring constantly but if you are going all carnivore then hang tight....

MEAT!!!!!

I will either do an organic grass fed beef from Aldi OR if I'm feeling crazy I'll add ground pork Italian sausage or ground lamb.  You could do any ground meat really.  Venison anyone?

Look at that steamy steam!

Once the meat is browned I'll add my marinara and heat it all up!

Larpin' good!  Does anyone say larpin any longer?  Is that an old mid-west word?

Because I'm on Whole 30 and because I rarely, if ever, eat real gluten pasta, I usually opt to make spaghetti squash or ZOODLES!!!! Who likes Zoodles?  My family doesn't so thats more for me!

Aren't they pretty????

I researched a lot of Spiralizers but went with this little handheld one so it would take up less space and it was only $14.99!  

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Handheld-Spiralizer/dp/B013KAW5IQ

Fits in the palm of my hand, and I have small hands.

Doesn't take long at all to spiral up these babies!

I bring water to a boil, add a steamer basket and steam my Zoodles with the lid on for only 2 minutes.  I like them al dente, not mushy.  Today I was lazy so with last nights' leftovers I microwaved them for 45 seconds and they came out perfectly and no pot to wash.  Hmmmm, might be my preferred method.

Voila! Eat em up, yum yum!

And there you have it, an easy, tasty, compliant Whole 30 meal that I was actually eating long before I ever did Whole 30.  

I hope you like my Michelle's Whole 30 Marinara Sauce.  I love it and it's customizable.  You can add and subtract.  When Whole 30 is over it's wonderful with Parmesan Reggiano grated on top.  You can also add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce as sugar is used to balance the acidity of tomatoes.  But only a teaspoon, let's not get silly.

If you try it, let me know.  Please share this recipe with others and subscribe to my blog at the top of my page if you haven't already.  You can also follow me over on my Facebook page, Michelle Spieler Fit by 50.

https://www.facebook.com/michellespielerfitby50/

Thank you for your time and I hope this was A Good Fit.

Day 15 of My Whole 30- Is This For YOU? (Day 1 and Day 15 progress photos)

Have you heard of Whole 30?  Maybe it's all you hear about and you're sick of it, then this is not the article for you.  Like many others, my eating got a little off track during the holiday season.  I love to challenge myself and knew the Whole 30 would be a great way to kick-off 2017. Because I believe strongly in support and accountability, I asked others to join me and now have a private Facebook group of 33 members.  Knowing throughout December I would embark on this journey I devoured the book Whole 30 (link below), preparing my mind for a challenging month of January.  I believe mindset is everything in achieving success, in diet, in exercise, in career, etc.  

https://www.amazon.com/Whole30-30-Day-Guide-Health-Freedom/dp/0544609719

To begin, the Whole 30 is not a diet, but a total nutrition reset.  Here are the basic rules: 

Some of you might be thinking : NO FUN, but rather than focusing on what we CAN'T have, we're encouraged to focus on what we can have.  I already eat everything on the YES list so the toughest thing for me was giving up peanut butter (the one food I could eat if stranded on a desert island for life) some cheeses, cream occasionally in my coffee and oatmeal.  I guess that's a lot but it's ONLY 30 days!  

The Whole 30 forces you to read labels because if you eat foods that are not compliant, BACK to Day 1 you go!  It's pretty strict and the reason for a forced "reset" is to keep you disciplined and on track.  I always thought I was a good label-reader,  but now realize I was still buying products with added sugar, a trick food companies use to make food taste better and/or hook you into buying their product again.  After all, sugar is a drug and coming off of it can be really rough.  Many of the group's participants had fatigue and headaches the entire first week.  I did well my first week; I did experience fatigue on Day 7 but I was fine again by Day 8.  

An important key to success on Whole 30 is meal planning, shopping and prepping.  A failure to plan is a plan to fail.  Its more work than most people are used to.  No longer are we buying processed "convenience" foods.  And you have to be mindful of every bite you take, no longer can you just take a few bites of your kid's pasta, or Mac N Cheese.  That's a tough habit to break because so many of us do it daily without even realizing it, but all those "bites'' of food add up to wasted calories.  

Gracie's DeCecco pasta last night with Parmesan Reggiano, oh how tempting this was!

But, I get:

but ONLY if it's compliant

And LOTS of.......

I LOVE eggs and can have 2-3 each day and WITH the yolks!

For years I ate egg white omelettes which lacked flavor and I totally burned out on them.  Now I can have the whole egg and cooked in Ghee or clarified butter which really brings out the flavor.  That's the thing, because of the fats we use to cook with, Whole 30 food is so flavorful!  I don't feel deprived at all.  

So today is Day 15 and I'm feeling strong.  We are told to weigh and measure on Day 1 and Day 30 but nowhere in-between because the number on the scale can mess with our heads and throw us off track.  We are encouraged to recognize non-scale victories, like one of our participants just got back into her pre-pregnancy jeans (she had a baby in August), or some are sleeping better.  As for me, I wake up each morning without my usual aches/pains and muscle and joint stiffness and I know that is due to cutting out all gluten.  Grains, especially gluten, can really inflame our bodies which is why we avoid ALL grains for 30 days, so we can truly identify how we feel off of them and how we feel once we reintroduce them back into our lifestyle.  

To encourage or motivate others I did want to take progress photos but I haven't weighed.

Not sure why I look so miserable on Day 1, I was pretty excited about this.

I've been in pretty good shape since July and only gained a few pounds over Christmas holiday but I was puffy and uncomfortable when I began on Day 1.  Today I feel much leaner and notice the biggest difference in my tummy!  That is reason alone to continue for 2 more weeks!

There are SO many more details I could go into about Whole 30 and an entire science behind it but the book explains much better and I highly recommend "It Starts with Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (link below), and THEN get "Whole 30" also by the same authors.

https://www.amazon.com/Starts-Food-Discover-Whole30-Unexpected/dp/1628600543/ref=pd_sbs_14_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZX1SHBXS3182Q0KQQG56

Once our 30 days are complete we are encouraged to go into a Paleo diet which is much like Whole 30 but not as strict.  And we can start making our favorite foods again like pancakes or muffins but using coconut or almond flours instead of the usual wheat flours which contain gluten.  On Whole 30 those type of foods are considered "trigger" foods that could send us off the deep end so zero baked goods for 30 days, but it's only 30 days!  I can do anything for 30 days, can't you?

There are countless blogs, websites, and Pinterest pins galore of amazing Whole 30 and Paleo recipes.  Never before have we had so much information so easily accessible.  There really is no excuse to fail because too many have gone before us and paved the way with delicious recipes to keep life flavorful and fun!  But if you pin on Pinterest daily, let me just say.....

Let me know if you try it!  I highly recommend Whole 30 and haven't found it difficult.  My husband did no grains for 13 days and my 9 year old daughter lives on carbs so I have plenty of non-compliant food in my home at all times.  That is life.  You have to learn to adapt to a new lifestyle even when those around you don't.  You have to learn to balance special occasions where food is always used as celebration because that is life.  And life is about balance!  You can do it!  

Please add your email at the top if you'd like to subscribe to my blog and/or follow me on my Facebook page Fit By 50.  And share with others, I'd SO appreciate it! 

https://www.facebook.com/michellespielerfitby50/

I hope this has been A Good Fit!  Thank you for your time.

Lick-The-Bowl-Clean Sunday Stew (with Whole 30 modifications)

I was married 20 years before I ever made stew!  I mean it, it just intimidated me.  I've also never cooked a turkey, roasted an entire chicken, or cooked a roast though I did make a standing bone-in prime rib for a christmas party in 2010.  It's not that I don't like to cook, I'm actually pretty good at it, it's just my first eight years of employment were in fancy restaurants so I learned to cook that kind of food and not traditional american family dishes.  

Much prettier topped with the suggested fresh parsley but I didn't have any on hand.

Now let me preface, this is Pioneer Woman's Sunday Night Stew so I can't take any credit at all other than following the recipe well, but DANG if I don't nail this every time!  My husband just loves this stew (makes him happy dance) and even Gracie likes it!  And because we're a small family, it makes two nights' worth of dinners so WIN for me!  Pioneer Womans' recipes are easy to follow and she does step by step photos  which is great if you're a visual learner like me!  Here's her link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sunday-night-stew/

This dish is literally stewing on my stovetop as I type this but this time around I'm doing the Whole 30 (a nutrition reset for those unfamiliar) so I've had to modify her recipe, especially her mashed potatoes which the stew lovingly sits upon.  As for the stew itself I only had to omit 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and use Whole 30 compliant beef stock.  Easy peasy!  I also always add one extra turnip because who knew I was a turnip freak (?) and I add WAY more garlic because I like to show my stew who is boss!  

Now the mashed potatoes are very different tonight because there is no dairy (butter, milk) allowed on the Whole 30 but you are allowed Ghee (clarified butter with no milk solids)  so I made them with ghee and chicken stock (seasoned with S&P) tonight.  They did NOT disappoint!  They were so flavorful that I honestly did not miss the milk and butter and might prefer making this way going forward.  Lots of yummy sounds were being made and Rob and I each went back for seconds.  That's right, I ate two big bowls full, don't judge.

Ain't she a beaut?!!!! (color is basil)

I also HIGHLY recommend using a cast iron dutch oven to prepare your stew.  The cast iron browns the stew meat beautifully and because I use a Staub, the spikes designed in the lid provide continuous self-basting locking in more flavor!  I'm not trying to sell you a Staub but MAN OH MAN is this a great cooking tool!  I'll have this dutch oven for life.

Spikes on lids create a rain-forest effect that cycles moisture back to foods.

One important detail to know, the reason this is titled Sunday Night Stew, I imagine, is because this dish takes about 3 hours to make.  You won't be standing over it the entirety but it takes time.  I've made it so many times now that the time flies for me and I know I'm getting two nights of dinners out of it but it's a lot of peeling and chopping, and stewing.  I always play a good podcast to pass the time.

This is an awesome meal but especially if you're on Whole 30 like me, or Paleo, this is a compliant, flavorful meal.  I plan on making this all winter long.  Let me know if you try it too!  It brings me excitement to hear from y'all.  

Please share this and/or follow me on my Facebook Fit By 50 page.  I would appreciate your help in growing my audience.  Thank you in advance!

https://www.facebook.com/michellespielerfitby50/