Quick tip, did you know that the top of strawberries are total edible and packed pull of nutrients? Next time you are cutting the tops off save them in a freezer bag and freeze them. These are a great add on into your smoothie ;).
Happy Friday!
Steph
http://www.primalcotton.com
Holistic Life Coaching Services are now available via Skype,FaceTime,Phone, and in Person, to book your appointment head over to the website or email me at primal cotton@gmail.com
Muscle soreness is something that I love to write about because I am always sore. In some of my past blogs I have talked about supplements and herbal remedies you can take to help combat muscle soreness. While all of these recommendations defiantly do help, there is an even easier way to help combat muscle soreness and that is through your diet. I know, I know, no one wants to hear that but it’s true. Eating a clean diet really does help with muscle soreness. Here is why clean eating is so important;
Food is Fuel
I find that most people really overlook food as being fuel for our bodies. We look at food as entertainment and something we do for pleasure and often forget that we actual need proper food to stay fueled. While I am a huge advocate for eating clean on a daily basis, I think it is even more imperative that you are eating clean and with fueling in mind, when you are doing strenuous exercise. How does this tie into muscle soreness? It is really simple, if you don’t eat the right combination of food, you don’t have the right amount of fuel in your muscles to ensure you are able to function at full capacity. What happens when we are not at full capacity? We push ourselves and our muscles get tired, and BAM, we end up with pulled muscles, sore muscles, and injuries. I compare it to driving a car with low, crappy oil. Can you drive the car still? Sure, will it eventually run out of oil and burn up your engine? Damn right it will! So why not just spend the extra few bucks and a few extra minutes and put higher grade oil in your car. In the long run you are going to get a hell of a lot further. It is the same thing with your body. Give it clean carbohydrates and protein before you work out and you will start to notice you don’t have the injuries or muscle soreness nearly as much.
Foods Heal
Before we had the modern advancements of pharmaceuticals that we have today mankind turned to food, herbs, and minerals to stay in optimum health and to heal themselves. In fact most pharmaceuticals are derived from plants. There is several food items that are well known for helping muscle pain, here are a few of them;
Pineapple– It contains an enzyme called Bromelain, which helps digest protein, reduce inflammation, and ease joint pain. Bromelain also aids in wound healing, angina, and muscle soreness.
Ginger- Ginger has long been known to reduce swelling and inflammation. It contains gingerols, which is a very potent anti-inflammatory. A great way to get ginger into the diet is with a tea or in Indian food.
Berries– Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are backed full of antioxidents that help rid of the body of free radicals and metabolic waste. Berries are also a natural anti-inflammatory.
Banana– These are packed with potassium is an important electrolyte that helps muscle contract. After you work out your muscles are depleted of potassium and the sooner you can get potassium back in them the quicker they will recover.
Avocados- Avocados are high in OMEGA 3 fats and this helps get rid of free radicals and inflammation in your body. This is a great food if you are suffering from joint pain too.
Dark Leafy Greens– Everyone knows spinach makes you stronger , but did you know it helps with inflammation too! Eating dark leafy greens life spinach and kale can help reduce inflammation in the body.
Nuts– These are another great source of OMEGA 3 fats and protein and will help with inflammation. I love these as post recovery snack, because there is no muss or fuss.
If you are suffering from muscle soreness why not give your food the chance to help you out. You might be surprised how much better you feel! 🙂
http://www.primalcotton.com
This blog is for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice
All information on this blog is property of Primal Cotton
Here is a great drink to help flush out all of the crap from the holidays.
1 half gallon pitcher
1 lemon
1 small cucumber
1/2 cup of frozen or fresh blue berries
Cut your cucumber and lemon in large pieces.Place all of your ingredients in the pitcher. Stir and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Drink and enjoy! This drink is packed full of antioxidants and vitamins, your body will thank you for it
As I told everyone at the beginning of the week, my husband has finally agreed to let me put him on a meal plan. What that really means is that I make all of his food..lol..normally it is the other way around. My husband is an AMAZING cook and he normally does all of the cooking. In an effort to help him lose a few extra pounds he has agreed to let me cook and plan the meals. Isn’t he a nice guy 🙂 haha. In all seriousness this is a huge step for him. I thought I would share with everyone my tips for taking your own lunch to work. I know for a lot of people this can be a daunting task and even unappealing. I have the opposite problem, the idea of having to eat out at work stressed me out and puts me in the worst mood. haha I know I am a little weird. :p
My first tip is, pick out some cute items that you can pack your lunch in. My husband he needed a new lunch box to take his food in so I went to world market an got him this cool compacted box. It has a 3 different compartments and it all folds into a nice small box. It is so cute my son wants one now. haha I also bought these small containers to put condiments in. They look like miniature ketchup and mustard bottles. They fit perfectly into the lunch box. My husband told me last night that as crazy as it sounds, it really helped having the container and the condiment bottles. It made it more enjoyable to eat. It makes sense though because we eat with our eyes first.
Here is the link to the box I bought. This shows a pack of 4 but I was able to buy mine single for about $5
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/klip-it-lunch-cubes-set-of-3.do?&from=Search
My second tip is, make food visual appealing. When I was planning Eric’s lunch I sat thought about what would taste good and look good. I decided to go with meat wraps, cucumber and tomato salad, and sweet potato chips. If it was my lunch, I would have left the chips out but, I knew that if I wanted him to eat the other food, I had to have some chips, I compromised with the sweet potato chips :). I also include condiments so that the food will taste and look better.
My third tip is, get creative. People eat out because they like the variance in their food choices. When you are planning your lunches pick a few different things if you need to. I keep my lunches exciting by taking left overs. I know most people don’t like left overs but we make food that is good enough for left overs :). By eating left overs I ensure that I am not getting bored with my lunch.
If you aren’t currently taking your lunch, maybe that can be a goal you set for 2014. Taking your own food is a great way to say some money and you know exactly what is going into your body because you made it :). Have a great
day!
Tomorrow I will be blogging my lunch recipes;
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Roast Beef Wraps
I am currently taking new clients for nutrition and life coaching. Appointments can be done via Skype or Phone.
Happy Tuesday! I am doing a little happy dance today because, my baby sister will here tomorrow! Life really doesn’t get much better :). Well the only thing that could add to my happiness is being able to share this recipe with you! If you like pineapple you are going to LOVE this recipe. It is so simple you will think “what is the big deal” but I am telling you this combination is amazing! It will satisfy any sweet tooth you are having without any guilt. I made this recipe for my family last night and my husband said ” Is this Paleo? Cuss, if this is Paleo I am going to eat Paleo all of the time” haha. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
1 Ripe fresh Pineapple
1 Can of full fat coconut milk
2 Teaspoons of vanilla
1 Teaspoon of coconut oil
1/4 Teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Tablespoon of pure maple syrup
Directions
Allow to cook another 10 minutes or until they have finished caramelizing.
Coconut Whip Cream
Top the coconut with the whip cream and you are good to go!
One of my favorite things about Christmas is eggnog. When I went Paleo I was afraid it meant saying goodbye to eggnog forever, but then I found Almond Milk Eggnog and all is right in the world. I don’t know if it I have just been Paleo brainwashed (haha)or if it is really as good as I think, but it taste pretty darn good to me. I have been using this in everything. I made eggnog pancakes the other night, I have been using it in my coffee instead of butter, and today I used it in my cup of tea. It has not let me down yet. The down side is that it cost me like $5 which is pretty crazy but desperate times, ya know. I am thinking I may try and make my own version of it next weekend with coconut milk. I will let you know how it turns out. Have a great Saturday and keep warm!!!!
After reading all of the Paleo blogs that I follow and Instagram, this past week, I got a serious craving for pie. I decided to do a trial run of a Paleo sweet potato pie. My husband isn’t a big fan of sweet potato pie so I decided to try and make a chocolate crust to see if that might win him over. Chocolate normal does . I had so much filling left over that I ended up making two pies, one chocolate and one regular. They both turned out so good that my husband said he couldn’t decide which one he liked more. I guess I did something right . Here is both of my pie crust recipes along with the filling and coconut whip cream recipe. As you can see in the pictures this is a rustic pie and I personally love that. I hope you enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
Chocolate Crust
1 cup of raw almonds
½ cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons of coconut sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven 375 degrees
2. In a food processor pulse almonds, chocolate chips, sugar, and salt until the mixture is fine and crumbly
3. Melt butter
4. In a small bowl mix butter and crust mixture until combined
5. Pour into a pie pan and using a spoon, press against the sides of the pan until you have formed the crust all the way around the pan evenly.
6. Bake for 10 minutes
7. Allow to cool
Almond Apple Crust
1 cup of raw almonds
½ cup of dried crandberries
¼ cup of dried apple chips
4 tablespoons of melted butter
4 tablespoons coconut sugar
Pinch of salt
Directions
1. Preheat oven 375 degrees
2. In a food processor pulse almonds, cranberries, apples, sugar, and salt until the mixture is fine and crumbly
3. Melt butter
4. In a small bowl mix butter and crust mixture until combined
5. Pour into a pie pan and using a spoon, press against the sides of the pan until you have formed the crust all the way around the pan evenly.
6. Bake for 10 minutes
7. Allow to cool
Pie Filling (Yields 2 Pies)
Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
½ tablespoon nutmeg
½ cup full fat coconut milk
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
Directions
Preheat Oven 375 degrees
1. Bake two large sweet potatoes in the oven at 425 degrees for 45minutes or until they are soft
2. Allow to cool
3. Once potatoes are cool, peel off the skin
4. In a large bowl add sweet potatoes, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, coconut milk, maple syrup, and egg
5. With a hand mixer, mix all of the ingredients on medium speed, until all of the ingredients are incorporated well
6. Pour mixture into pie pan
7. Bake for 45min or a tooth pick interested comes out clean
8. If you crust starts to burn, wrap the edges of the crust with tin foil, this will stop the crust from browning
Coconut Whip Cream
Ingredients
1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions
1. Place the can of coconut milk in the fridge for several hours. This will allow the coconut fat to solidify
2. Once the milk is chilled do not shake or mix.
3. Open the can of milk and gently scrape coconut fat out of the can
4. You should have a milky white substance left. I save this for creamer or other baking projects
5. Put coconut fat, syrup, and vanilla in a large bowl
6. With a hand mixer, mix on medium speed for several minutes until you have the consistency of whip cream
7. Serve immediately or freeze.
I love the holidays it’s the only time you can eat pie for breakfast :). I havr a great southern girl paleo chocolate sweet potatoe pie recipe, that will be up on the blog today.
We had a great family day on Sunday. We went to the farmers market and got our last minute items for Thanksgiving. I love being able to shop with my kids at the farmers market. My son Noah really gets into it and it makes me feel like im doing something right with him :).
Lucia and Dad getting our grass fed beef.
Noah picking out his kiwi
I know that the glare is terrible but this is the Fam 🙂
I have been having the worst writers block this week :). I have been sitting on this book proposal all week. Every time I try and write it, I just get stuck and start to freak out. I literally have been giving myself the worst anxiety about it. This is when all of the self-doubt really starts to kick in. My thoughts start to go CRAZY. The lack of sleep, due to my Lucia, probably isn’t’t helping either. Last night I finally had a good cry; ok more like a mini breakdown, and vented to my hubby. I guess this is just what I needed because the mental block is gone and I am flowing with ideas today. At any rate I am back at it with a vengeance and hoping to get this book proposal done this week and submitted by Monday. Thank goodness for mini break downs and husbands that actually care :).
PrimalCotton 