Did I eat 100% Paleo? No, but I’d say I was about 75%. I did have some cheese and some bread, but I limited it. Even though I did “cheat”, I stopped drinking milk, eating yogurt and cut out alcohol entirely-all big steps for me. Mostly Paleo is better than no Paleo and I think as time goes on, I’ll find the diet easier to stick to.

I didn’t lose any weight, but I also wasn’t working out as hard as I could have been. I’m going to up my workouts and see what happens.

My skin has never looked better. Seriously. My eczema is pretty much gone. I’m not sure if this is related to limiting certain foods or the increase in water that I drink daily, but my skin looks and feels better than it has in awhile.

Since I am more careful about what I’m eating, I’ve actually noticed that I’m eating a wider variety of foods. Sweet potatoes and asparagus were things I could take or leave before, but now I’m finding ways to make them super tasty. I’ve found a ton of great websites with some Paleo recipes that I can’t wait to try. This diet change will definitely help me try new things in the kitchen.

After one week, it isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I’m excited about trying to live a healthier lifestyle and the new recipes that I’ll try. I think this change may have revived my blog!

I’ve never been an athletic person. Running has always been really difficult for me. I’ve been training for a week and haven’t been able to get past 6 minutes of running without stopping. I’m horribly out of shape, but I’m being consistent. I run the shit out of those 6 minutes.

With my new obsession with running came an obsession with diet and nutrition. That’s when I discovered the Paleo diet. The more I read about it, the more I thought it was the right thing for me. If you’re unfamiliar, you can read more about it here.

The more I read about the benefits, the better it sounded.

1. It helps you lose weight, from what I’ve read, rather quickly
2. It’s a good diet if you want to build lean muscle
3. It’s good for people with eczema because you don’t eat wheat or dairy (except eggs) which can trigger skin rashes
4. It would force me to cook creative meals, reviving my blog (hello, remember me?)

I decided I’ll try it for a month, which I hear is around the amount of time it takes for something to become a habit. If I still hate it, I’ll stop. But I figure I have nothing to lose (except maybe a few pounds) and if it helps my skin that’s an added bonus. Plus, maybe I’ll start writing here more. Maybe.

Today is day one. So far, it’s not that bad. Let’s see if I can stick with this.

It’s been a busy few weeks

Two weeks ago, I started a new job. I’m a web designer for an advertising company in Clearwater, FL. The drive is a bit longer, but I like what I do, my coworkers are easy to get along with and I’m 5 minutes away from Clearwater beach, so I can head down there for lunch everyday. I don’t mind waking up a little earlier when I get to see paradise everyday.

Last month, my friends Neil and Sara moved in with me and the boyfriend. They came from NJ, where I used to live, and are staying temporarily until they find a place of their own. So far, it’s been a blast having them here. We’ve been showing them around the area, going to different restaurants, shows and hot spots in town. They’re great with our dog, clean up after themselves, and even have dinner ready when we get home from work!

They both like to cook and don’t mind heading to the store to get ingredients for kitchen experiments. A few weeks ago, I introduced Sara to the wonders of Pinterest and we came across a recipe for Samoa cupcakes. The Samoa’s are my favorite Girl Scout cookie, so I couldn’t wait to see how this turned out. I’ve never made a cupcake completely from scratch, as in, making the batter, frosting and toppings without using a box, so I was a bit apprehensive, but I managed to pull it off. It took a few hours, but everyone enjoyed them so it was worth it! If I can do it, you can too.

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and coconut extract until fluffy and light, at least 3-4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the milk beating just until combined.

Fill the cupcake papers 1/2 full, making sure that the batter is divided evenly. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. Tilt each cupcake in the muffin pan so it sits at an angle.

Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan at this angle for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To toast the coconut, spread the coconut onto a rimmed sheet pan. Toast in a 350°F oven, stirring frequently, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.

To make the frosting,  melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the salt and brown sugar and heat the mixture to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the caramel frosting mixture is lukewarm, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary.

Heat chocolate chips in microwave for about 30 seconds or until drizzling consistency.
Frost your cupcakes with a rubber spatula, or transfer it to a frosting bag. This is the part I had the hardest time with. I used a spatula and they didn’t turn out as pretty as I would have liked.  I think it may have been easier for me to use the frosting bag.

Drizzle the frosted cupcakes with melted chocolate and garnish with toasted coconut.

Happy New Year! I hope you had a fantastic night, whatever you did. The boyfriend and I spent New Years Eve at the Tampa Bay Lightning game, then met up with some friends at a bar down the street afterward. It was a laid back place that wasn’t incredibly busy. At midnight, we walked outside and had a perfect view of the fireworks being set off at Channelside. It was a great night!

The new year means it’s resolution time. For most people, including myself, that means getting in shape. One of my goals for 2012 is to run 5, 5K races. It’s a lofty goal for me, since I just started running a few months ago, but one I think I can accomplish.

With the added exercise comes eating better. I’m not the biggest fan of veggies, but I’m finding a lot of different ways to incorporate them into my diet. Kale shakes are a great way to get your daily dose of veggies in one shot. I first heard of kale shakes while listening to The Joe Rogan Experience a weeks ago. While it didn’t sound like the most delicious thing to drink, I figured I’d give it a shot.

Ingredients

Kale

One apple or pear

1 to 2 celery stalks

Carrots

Ginger root

1 cup of water

Mix it up in a blender until it’s smooth enough to drink, then go for it.

Admittedly, this isn’t the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but it’s not the worst either. If your not a fan of vegetables, I find taking 5 minutes in the morning to blend them together is a lot easier than trying to prepare them differently. I’ve been drinking one a day for a few days now and I already feel a difference in the amount of energy I  have. It’s amazing what having the proper vitamins and nutrients can do for your body!

Thanks to my boyfriend’s mom cooking a massive feast on Christmas Eve and my parents cooking on Christmas, I haven’t had to do much cooking. Christmas Eve was complete with traditional Portuguese dishes; cod fish, cod fish and more cod fish! There was even octopus! My parents decided to do an “Italian” Christmas, complete with a giant breakfast from my dad and lasagna for dinner. Do you see now why I was in a food coma?

Desserts are a big part of the holidays and we certainly had plenty, both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. One of the traditions in my family is to make Pizzelles. Have you ever had one? They are thin, crispy cookies that look like snowflakes.

Every year, we get out our old Pizzelle iron and sit down to make the cookies. Our recipe is a bit of secret, passed down from generations, but you can find plenty of similar ones online. The cookies take awhile to make, because you can only do two at a time, kind of like making waffles. It took my dad 45 minutes to make a large batch, but they were definitely worth it! The cookies were the one thing that went-absolutely no leftovers!

My Dad’s aunt buys the girls in the family their own Pizzelle iron when they get married. I look forward to getting mine and keeping the tradition alive.

Does you family have any holiday food traditions? What’s the one food you love to eat during the holiday season?

I’m going to tell you something will make a lot people jealous. Today, it was 80 degrees outside. Even though I live in Florida, this type of heat is abnormal for December. For the past 2 weeks or so, it’s been a bit chilly in the morning, but then heats up during the day. And while I’m not wishing for snow or anything (ugh!) I wouldn’t mind some cooler weather to help me get in the Christmas spirit. I’m still in denial that Christmas is ON SUNDAY!

To help me get in the spirit, I’ve been making a lot of “cold weather food”. This Chicken stew recipe was loosely based off of one of Giada’s (sidenote: Isn’t she just stunning?) and originally was going to be beef stew, but the beef kind of went bad before I had a chance to cook it. I’ve been busy wrapping gifts, I swear!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 (16-ounce) box of chicken broth
1/2 cup basil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, garlic and other seasonings to the pot. Then add your chicken. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle into bowls, serve and enjoy!

No matter how much I try to plan, I always feel like the Holiday season is so overwhelming. Usually right around mid December is when I start wishing that the new year would just get here already.

The boyfriend and I spent most of last week trying to fix decorations. We had some rainy, windy weather on Wednesday that caused our reindeer and lights to blow all over the yard. Thursday night, the dog did this…

He’s been trying to get on my good side ever since.

The holiday season will always stress me out, but I’m trying hard to focus on the good things that happen this time of year. Things like cooler temperatures, Trans- Siberian Orchestra and holiday lights always bring a smile to my face. And let’s not forget the food. I’ve definitely been indulging in lots of Christmas treats, including these peanut butter cookies that were simple to make and absolutely delicious. I’ll wait until the new year to worry about eating healthy again.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup  brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 1/4 cups  flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together with an electric mixer

Place the dough in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, or until it’s firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Scoop out dough on an ungreased cookie sheet in small balls. Flatten out the cookies by making criss cross patterns with a fork dipped in sugar.

This is the part I went wrong. I tried doing this, but the cookies came out of the oven without any fork patterns. Maybe I didn’t flatten them enough.  Also, try your best to ignore the spilled sugar on my stove. I got a little messy.

Bake for 10 minutes and serve with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of milk. Yum!

A few weeks ago, my other website got hacked. If this sort of thing has ever happened to you, then you’re already familiar with how much it sucks. I won’t get into details, but while I was scanning my laptop for viruses, I decided I should finally download Netflix streaming to my Wii. And thus began my obsession with Sons of Anarchy.

In a week, I watched all of season 1 and 2. I would have watched season 3, but Netflix doesn’t have it on streaming yet. That’s how much I like this show. The only thing I can think about is (*SPOILERS*) how SAMCRO is going to get Abel back. I’m not an early adopter of new TV shows, so this sort of thing happens to me often. I’ll wait a few seasons, start at episode one, then get so sucked in I watch 10 episodes in one day.

Despite my obsession, I managed to pull myself away from the TV long enough to make chili. I was going to follow a recipe, but there are a million different ways to make chili, so I figured I’d try to make it my own way with what we already had in the kitchen. The boyfriend helped.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups of chicken broth
1 bottle of Guinness extra stout
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)

Cook the ground beef until brown and drain any excess grease.

Add in the chopped onions and peppers and cook for a few minutes to soften them.

Once the vegetables are softened, add in the beans, crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.

The Guinness was an afterthought. We added it about 15 minutes into the simmering. It definitely added a distinct flavor, which I’m not sure I entirely liked. I like my chili hot and spicy and the beer made it taste a little bitter. I had to add some Tabasco sauce to get the flavor that I wanted, but the boyfriend liked it just the way it was.

Ladle the chili into bowls and add shredded cheese.

For a person that doesn’t cook much, I watch an awful lot of Food Network. I like to say it’s for “research”, but I doubt I’ll be making a 1,000 cupcake display anytime soon. I enjoy Food Network because they accent the creative side of cooking and working in a creative field, I get lost in the art of it all.

I’ve always liked Rachael Ray. Her meals are quick and easy and she seems like a person I would be friends with. While her recipes may not be the most “artistic”, they’re perfect for someone like me who’s still learning the basics.

Rachael’s Loosemeat Sandwiches are like a healthier version of a sloppy joe and even the most awkward chef’s (like myself) can manage to make this.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (Note: the recipe calls for sirloin, but I prefer turkey so I used that)
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
4 burger buns, spilt, or kaiser rolls, split
1/2 yellow skinned onion, finely chopped

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to the pan and brown the meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks.

Add chicken stock to the meat.

Season the meat with paprika, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. When the liquid comes to a bubble, reduce heat to simmer. Cook meat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, chop up your onion.

Pile meat into buns or rolls and top with raw onions.

Serve and enjoy!

With Halloween long gone and Thanksgiving out of the way, I’m sad that I’ll have to wait 11 months for my favorite time of year to come back around. At my house, we’ve put away the orange and green decorations and focused our energy on all things red and green. I don’t think I’m quite ready to say goodbye to fall, so today I’m posting about candy corn cupcakes.

Candy corn is one of my favorite treats. Before Halloween, I bought 2 bags of it and just finished it off. I was proud of myself for keeping it in the house that long! Normally, it’s hard for me to resist. I’m finding I have more self control that I thought.

I first saw this recipe on Our Best Bites and fell in love with how cute they were. Not only are they adorable, but they taste great and are a cute reminder of Halloween, trick or treating and all things fall. You can find the recipe I followed there (along with their perfect frosting recipe, which I should have used instead of store bought frosting).

Ingredients
1 18.25-oz. box of white cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
Yellow and orange food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with white paper liners.

Combine all ingredients except for food coloring in a large bowl and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat on medium for 2 additional minutes.

Divide batter equally into two bowls.

Add the orange food coloring to one bowl and the yellow to the other.

Scoop a tablespoon of yellow batter to each tin, Repeat with the orange batter.
Bake for 20 minutes or until you can remove a toothpick cleanly from the center.

Place on a rack to cool. Once cool, frost and decorate the tops with candy corn.

Thank you Sara and Kate for the adorable recipe and giving me the chance to hang on to fall just a little longer!