Divine Light

Do you ever have that one day where everything is right? Everything goes smoothly and everyone is happy? Yeah, I know, I rarely have them too but today was a good day.

Mondays are normally pretty good because I spend an hour and a half doing yoga in the morning.  Starting my morning with a yoga class makes my mood so much better throughout the day... or what my yoga instructor said today, "May your day be filled with divine light".  My light today was divine.

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

I'm loving this combination for breakfast.  I made freezer packs with mango, pineapple, green chard, and banana.  In the morning I add coconut water.


Plus Ezekiel toast with almond butter, unsweetened coconut, and banana.

*Know that this is not what I eat before I do crossfit.  This would not be a substantial breakfast.  This was before yoga.  

lunch 

Lunch was EASY.  Easy because I had everything prepped in advance.  This weekend I cooked some grass fed beef with onions and peppers.  I grated some sweet potato and put it in the fridge.  I also washed and chopped all of my veggies.  Today I melted some coconut oil in a pan and added some of that grated sweet potato and chopped green chard.  Once they were cooked through I added the leftover beef.  It took about 10 minutes.

dinner

My kids found a recipe in a magazine for peanutty noodles so that's what we made tonight.  We used chicken breaast, carrots, bok toy, and rice noodles.  The recipe was similar to this one.  We all loved it.

What gives you divine light?

Laid Back Weekend

How was your weekend? We had a pretty good one.  I may be feeling better but my husband has whatever bug we are passing around.  Friday we had pizza and movie night. Saturday was crossfit in the morning and relaxing in the evening. Today was filled with nothing... which is amazing!

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

A fried egg, grits, strawberries, and bacon.  I really wanted a Belgian waffle.  I resisted the urge to go out for breakfast.  Instead I made something a little bigger than usual at home.

lunch

Grass fed beef cooked with peppers and onions.  Topped with avocado and salsa.  Plus Trader Joes plantain chips.

dinner

The kids wanted to make Daddy chicken noodle soup for dinner so that's what I did.  Chicken breast seasoned with dried thyme and basil baked in the oven.  I sautéed carrots, onion, and celery in ghee.  Then I added some chicken stock and whole wheat egg noodles.  Once the noodles were done I added the chicken to the mix.  It was perfect.

Now I'm going to wind down with some Walking Dead!


Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Intermittent

I spent the first half of the day like the past few days... not able to taste anything. This evening though something changed after crossfit. I was able to taste dinner!  I went to the doctor yesterday and she put me on an antibiotic and mucinex.  I tried every holistic approach I could think of and I lasted 5 days before going to the doctor.  When things weren't improving I knew it was time to go.

Anyways...

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

Oatbran + flaxseed made with water topped with almond butter, maple syrup, and almond milk.

lunch

Grated sweet potato and kale cooked in ghee + a fried egg.

dinner

Meatballs and spaghetti squash.


This meatball recipe never fails!  Plus I had an unpictured salad.  It tasted SO good!

What did you eat today?

Minimal Eats

Let's make this quick shall we?

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

Same smoothie as yesterday and the day before.  Mango, banana, pineapple, kale, coconut water.  Plus half a cup of oats cooked with water.  Can you tell I still can't taste anything?  What in the world.

lunch

Organic ham and half an avocado.

dinner

I roasted a whole chicken with white sweet potatoes and carrots.  I also sautéed some green beans in bacon fat and garlic.  Easy!

I've got an episode of The Walking Dead to watch!

What are you watching on TV?

Still No Taste

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

I'm on a smoothie roll!  The same thing as yesterday.  Equal parts mango, banana, pineapple, two handfuls of kale, and a splash of coconut water to get everything moving.


Around 10 I had oats made with water, chia seeds, blueberries, and unsweetened coconut.

lunch

Again my sense of taste is gone.  I didn't eat again until 2:30.  Trader joes chicken sausage, shredded sweet potato, grated zucchini, and kale all cooked in ghee.

dinner
I debated even photographing this dinner but it describes how I feel.  Look how sad it is.  As ridiculous as this sounds I was almost in tears at dinner.  I haven't tasted anything in over 48 hours.  I haven't made dinner in two days because I can't taste anything to season it.  The kids had chocolate chip pancakes and bacon for dinner so I had a little bit of each.

Tomorrow has got to be better!

Any suggestions on clearing up sinus stuff?

No Taste At All

I feel so much better! Except I can't taste anything. You know your love for food is extreme when your loss of taste ruins your entire day. That may sound dramatic but I've felt such a mix of emotions today. Sadness, frustration, and anger. What in the world?! I'm praying tomorrow is back to normal!

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

I recreated my smoothie from yesterday (kale, pineapple, mango, banana, and coconut water). It was even better! Take that Whole Foods.  Plus Ezekiel toast with almond butter and coconut.

lunch

I ate breakfast at 7 and didn't eat lunch until 2.  I just wasn't hungry and my lack of taste was frustrating.  Around 2 I reheated some taco chicken, topped it with salsa, and ate it with plantain chips.  Didn't taste a thing!  I could feel that the salsa was cold but that's about it.

dinner

Same thing happened with dinner.  Same taco chicken, lettuce, salsa, and cheese on a corn tortilla.

Being sick is no fun!

Please tell me what you ate today.  Let me live through you!

Green Smoothie Run

Please tell me how it can already be one month into this new year.  Time goes by fast.  Too fast.  Slow down people.

I'm still fighting off some sinus stuff but...

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

My husband made an egg scramble and split it up. Bacon, red and green peppers, onion, and eggs. Plus a 1/4 of a sprouted wheat bagel with cream cheese. Bear with me while I figure out the lighting in my house. We've been here a year but I haven't done many food photo shoots.  My pictures will get better.

mid-morning 

I made a trip to Whole Foods just for a green smoothie. Kale, mango, banana, pineapple, and coconut water.

lunch 

More leftovers but this time I made it more like a soup to help my sniffles.  I used this recipe.  Remember I told you about it yesterday?  I added a cup of chicken stock to it.

dinner 

I really wasn't feeling like eating anything so I had mashed avocado, hardboiled egg, salt and pepper on Ezekiel toast.

What do you eat when you don't feel well?

My Favorite Coconut Chicken

Ok I'm on a roll.

Here's what I ate today.

breakfast 

Leftover hamburger helper and eggs cooked in ghee...


Topped with the best salsa.

lunch

Leftover coconut chicken.  It may not look like much but this is one of my FAVORITE recipes ever.  The flavors together are incredible.  Just sub the soy sauce for coconut aminos and skip the rice if you are going the paleo route.  Add some more veggies instead of the rice or have it over cauliflower rice.  I also had some leftover massaged kale on the side.

mid-afternoon

Turmeric milk.


And a Perfect bar.

dinner

Is it summer yet?  Here in Monterey it's summery in the afternoons.  Even in January.


These hotdogs are amazing.  A million times better than Applegate grass fed dogs.


Put on a whole wheat bun with salad and mango on the side.

Check out my instagram to see what I had for dessert! [kristenatcop]

What did you eat today?

RECIPE: In The Bag

I've been making almond milk for years. I like almond milk for the taste. I'm not dairy intolerant. I just don't really care for the taste of milk. I've tried many recipes and they all taste good. I've found that the secret though is in the bag.



Really it is.


I have three "nut milk bags". I've tried them all. I've even tried layering them. I still end up with grit in my almond milk when I use them.  I don't like that.  A few years ago I started using a small 100% organic cotton bag and I haven't turned back.


Homemade Almond Milk
1 cup of almonds soaked overnight
3 cups of water

Blend the almonds and the water for about a minute or two and then strain through a bag (whichever you prefer!). Refrigerate for up to three days.



The bag I use is from ecobags.  I found mine at Whole Foods but you can find it here.  To wash I just use an unscented dish soap and then let it drip dry.