Blueberry Lemon Zest Paleo Muffins

  

Hey Jen!  I told you a few weeks ago about the blueberry muffins I made from the Practical Paleo cookbook and how amazing they were.  Well, as a testament to how good they are, I am making them again this morning.  Last time we ate them as dessert they are that delicious.  We topped them with Vanillia Coconut "ice cream".  SO incredible.  It tasted so indulgent but had way less sugar than a typical dessert.  

  

Ingredients:  Makes 12

6 eggs

1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (melted)

1 tsp vanilla 

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 lemon, juice and zest 

(the recipe says to leave out the lemon if you want a more basic muffin)

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup FRESH blueberries

 

Preheat oven to 350* F

Prep time 15 minutes

 Bake for 35-40 minutes

Wisk eggs, butter or Coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, lemon juice + zest in a mixing bowl.  

Sift in coconut flour, salt and baking soda.  

Gently fold in blueberries.

I highly recommend that you use cupcake papers.  The first batch stuck to the pan, even though I greased it first.  (I took this opportunity to buy adorable papers!!)

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

xo

Jeni

Oh LORDY!

Hello my dear,
  Where do I start?!?!  This weekend went every which way but right!  For starters, I did NOT go to crossfit, I did NOT go running and I did NOT eat healthy.  Friday life just got in the way and E and I didn't make it in time to go to the 6:30pm crossfit class.  So we decided to get up early for the Saturday morning class... well, 1:00am rolled around and I wasn't feeling well and could not fall asleep... so rather than waking up at 6:30am as we planned we slept until 10:00am.  We have NEVER slept that late, ever.  Then all day I just did not feel right.  We walked Roscoe a little over 3 miles and I hoped the fresh air would snap me out of my funk.  Then, stupidly, one of my closest friends came over to  introduce me to her new man!  (They were so cute).  We went out for ice cream and cookies.  What ever was I thinking?!?!?  So the rest of the day poor E had to hear me really moan about how sick I felt.  I slept terribly last night.  Tossed and turned and had the worst stomach pains.  This morning when I woke up at 6:30, I reached over, grabbed the waste basket next to the bed and just puked and puked and puked.  I don't know what caused it.  I have never felt so terrible.  It is 7:00pm and I am just now taking my first bite of melon.  I am so far beyond dehydrated and empty and have a throbbing head ache.  I accomplished nothing today and just now got out of bed for the first time too.  So, what did I learn from this experience??  Even if the junk food had NOTHING to do with me being sick, I do NOT want or need it in my life.  I felt unfulfilled after and silly.
  So, now about your kicks and Fleet Feet.  There is one in Albany and I LOVE it there.  The staff is so cool and knowledgeable!  Finding the right pair of kicks makes a huge difference in your fitness success.  Yours are so cute!!  Over the summer, E bought me a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes, he had done a lot of research on the benefits of them.  Especially since I deal with so much pain and stiffness after breaking my back (can you believe it has been so long?! 7 years this February).  The Vibrams have totally transformed my life!   Running is back to being fully enjoyable.
  So now tell, me, how are you doing eating wise?  Are you stretching enough after workouts and drinking enough water??  These things are so important.

Ok, my darling fitness buddy!  It is time for this little sick thing to go back to bed.

caio!
Jeni

Cake is a Worthless ex.

Hey Girl!
  Man, I wish I could workout with you.  That dance class sounds like so much fun.  I've only done Zumba once and really liked it.  Although, I typically think I have pretty good rhythm, I did find myself tripping over my own feet a few times, while everyone around me knew all the steps... at least I got practice laughing at myself.

   Last night and today were really crazy busy.  I had teacher conferences last night and had an 11 hour day at school and unfortunately did not make it home in time to get to the pool before it closed.  BLAH.  Today was another long day and I didn't even have time to walk Roscoe.  Usually when I am overwhelmed the first thing I drop is good eating habits.  I lean on cafe sandwiches, cookies and granola bars to get me though.  Luckily, I had a revelation last week- no one else is responsible for my health and well-being besides myself and I must respect myself enough to value both things.  It made a big difference in the way I have been eating the last week and a half. The last two days I have made the most delicious and balanced breakfasts and packed healthy, energy-boosting lunches(Hurray!)  I'm really rather proud of myself, to be honest.  I know that York Peppermint patties are so tempting, they are my favorite!! BUT, you need to remind yourself that the most delicious treat of all is reaching your goals... and if something isn't going to help you get there, it is a pointless use of your time and in this case, calories!   Today while eating my perfectly portioned salad, of protein, carbs and fats, I was reading a health magazine and saw this little tid bit...#8  I have to say I really loved it!  I told E last night at dinner that I am considering a cake-less birthday and wondered if I would feel sad or BADASS.  Then I saw this today, and I'm pretty sure the answer is BADASS!  How do you feel about it?!?!

  So on to workout duds- I have to say that I really love working out in tanks.  I thoroughly enjoy being able to watch my muscles work and gleam!!!  I also really like capris, as apposed to full length pants (well, if I've had the chance to shave my legs... which with how busy things have been and the sub freezing the temps lately, shaved legs are a major rarity).  On New Year's day I went running in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and a woman ran past with the best leggings I have ever seen!!  They had galaxies and cats all over them.... I really want some wacky leggings for sure!
 
  Alright, so now it is late and I had barely any sleep last night, so I am going to head to bed.  I will write tomorrow- I have crossfit in the afternoon and then I am planning on meeting up with two different running groups this weekend.  I need some active friends down here!!  Can't wait for the weekend, and then just one week till I see you and we turn 29!!

GOOD NIGHT!  FIT DREAMS,
xo
Jeni

Nutritional Awareness.

Hey Jenne!
  Today has been such an enlightening day!!!  Monday E and I went to crossfit and it was so great to get back into it.  It is such hard work to get in shape and so easy to get back out of it. Last night we joined the 30 day nutrition challenge at our box.  We were weighed and our body fat percentage was figured, now for the next 30 days we have to keep a journal detailing all of our food intake, exercise and sleep. Each Friday we will turn in our journals to the coaches and we will be graded on our ability to make healthy meals and our other health choices. To help us better understand what it means to be a healthy, well-balanced meal we were given an article about carbs, fats and proteins and what they actually are and what is needed to succeed. OH my god!  I have been living in the dark. I had no idea vegetables are actually carbs!!!  The article explains that each meal should be comprised of equal portions or "blocks" of each, protein, carbs and fats. What makes a "block" is different for each food.  I seriously can't believe a better understanding of food isn't taught in school when we were growing up!!  In the article is a week's worth of sample menus.  I feel so excited and so enlightened and now prepared for the next 30 days and all of life. I'll have to send you the article.

So back to trivial things... Sports bras and bling. I'm just gunna go for it. Let's make turning 29 great!!    As far a gym bag goes, I actually don't own one. How weird right?!?!  I usually just stumble around carrying way too many things and dropping them all about ten times before I reach my destination. I think having a beautiful gym bag would be a great motivation to be organized and active... Hmm... I'll have to do my research for my dream bag.

I really love your new workout duds!!  You must look so fly on your workout grind.  :)

You asked me what workout I'm most looking forward to this week and it's actually tonight's!!  I'm hitting the pool for some laps. The only way to improve is to practice right!!!
If the weather isn't so bad I'd like to squeeze in a run tomorrow. That would be swell.

Alright. I must be going for now.
I hope you had a healthy and balanced day,
Xo
Jeni

A Little Intentional Breathing

Hey Girl,
So tomorrow is my first day back to work in 17 days.  Well, technically I have been working the whole time, sewing and making dresses.  But school starts back up again and I'm afraid I have forgotten how to teach!?!?  I always get a bit anxious after big breaks.  So today I decided to skip the hot yoga in the morning and get things done.  I started to feel the anxiety building up during dinner and knew I better get in touch with some proper breathing and stretching to let it all out.  I turned off all the lights in the house and lit some candles around my mat.  It was superb- I think this might be my new nightly ritual.  Lighting makes a huge difference! I can't find my favorite yoga dvd, which super bums me out.  But I did a yoga search on youtube and ended up really liking the video I chose.  Bonus, this teacher is right in Kingston, so just 25 mins from me!  It had a lot of deep hip work, which is where I hold all of my stress, so it was perfect.  I'm posting the video for you- check it out!

Now, how about you.  How are you feeling about the challenge?  How did you feel about your initial weigh in?  Was it better/worse than you were expecting or right on what you thought?   Do you feel motivated to eat right and workout?  Do you like your teammates?  How many other teams are there?  Is there any sort of competitions between the teams? What types of workouts are you going to be doing mainly?

After work tomorrow E and I are going to Crossfit in the evening.  I am super pumped.  We had been going so regularly and I was feeling so strong and cool and then 3 weeks ago when V got put down I was so sad and depressed that I didn't go at all.  This last week I feel like I am finally getting out of my sadness rut and I can't wait to push myself tomorrow night.

Alright, it's now 11pm- aak, how did that happen.  I better go to bed.  Can't wait to hear from you.

Until tomorrow,
xo
Jeni