Food blogger over here.

I had a really great-ish weekend. Summer like weather finally showed up so I wore some summer dresses and hosted a little BBQ with Alex with some friends too. Yummy burgers on the grill, cards against humanity, just really nice.

I also made lots of paleo friendly food, and didn't tell anyone *hehehe*

Lettece wrapped burgers, lots of veggies and Chocolate chip cook dough brownie for dessert. Oh yes, it was that good. 

I do admit I'm not the best baker..yet. These fell apart as soon as a finger touched them which made me so annoyed. Just gotta make them again right?!

Raw, No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie

Ingredients

Brownie:

• ⅓ cup raw pecans
• ½ cup almond flour
• 4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• 5 pitted medjool dates
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Cookie Dough:

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk, full fat
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon raw honey
• 1½ cups almond flour
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Brownie:

1. using a food processor or a blender grind the pecans into course meal and place it in medium bowl
2. remove pits from dates and process it into a creamy paste
3. using your hands, mix together the pecan meal with the almond flour, cacao powder, date paste, vanilla extract and coconut oil until all ingredients are combined
4. line a 7×5-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spread the mixture until evenly distributed

Cookie Dough:

1. in a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla extract and honey
2. add almond flour and mix just until all ingredients are combined. Do not over mix
3. gently fold in chocolate chips
4. spread the cookie dough mixture on top of the brownie and use a piece of parchment paper to smooth the top of the cookie dough
5. refrigerate until dough is firm, approximately one hour

Recipe serves 10+ people. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Happy baking. How is it the end of may already? 

The down side of weight loss

It's no secret that in the past few months I've really gotten serious about my weight and what I'm doing to my body by feeding it poor food. I actually love going to my gym classes at 6:30am before the day begins and eating paleo. Both have done amazing things for my body and mind.

 I don't eat "special" or "always workout" because I want attention, I eat well and workout because it's a healthy activity to do, helps us live longer and makes me feel all good and happy after a good burn, blah blah blah. I think thats normal. 

What really bums me out is the comments/questions people actually say or ask me about my weight and clean eating.

I'll gladly explain what paleo stands for and what I do at the gym. If you're curious about why I do or don't do something, I'll happily chat away, but I never shove my feelings down your throat. This is something I'm passionate about and I want to share with everyone. 

Lately though I've been people are getting bold with the types of questions they ask me and their comments are the same. So, let's use our filter and not be like my examples below and make someone feel like they're only looked at for their weight. 

"You know Sarah, I didn't think I'd ever see the day you would became skinny."-My Gramma

 "so what size (jeans) are you now?"-co worker. 

As I'm exiting the bathroom, ready to go home from work.

"You're way to skinny"-Hairdresser. 

Ya. 

Would we ever say to an overly obese person that they're too big now. Or ask them what size they wear after noticing said person has gained some pounds? No way we wouldn't. The same should go for the person who takes care of their body. I'm at the healthy weight for my BMI, and actually shouldn't be losing much more, and I eat well.

I've realized as the song goes, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. *excuse my french*

Feelings on Breakfast and a recipe

Breakfast is hands down my favourite meal of the day. Nothing gets me more excited than sipping coffee (or chugging in Alex's eye's) and reading the paper in the morning while Breakfast Television is on in the background. 

So imagine my excitement when I made Stuffed Breakfast peppers for breaky yesterday. Amazingly yummy and even more amazingly healthy. You bet I sent a picture to my best friend as we're both always looking new recipes to try out on our whole30 challenge in may. 

Stuffed Breakfast Peppers

1 pepper

2 eggs

mushrooms (handful)

salt and pepper

cumin

hot pepper flakes

Cut open pepper, add all ingredients in bowl and mix. Add into peppers and bake at 375 for 35 minutes.  

Self time out

On Thursdays it's bodypump at 10am for me. I love thursday because I don't have class and work is much later in the day so I've got the time do to a class and a run or sometimes spin class if I'm feeling super energetic. 

 I typically don't have a day in the week to rest, if I have the time then I'll workout. 

But I'm planning not to do anything today. No short run, no bootcamp. Just rest. Because I'm giving myself a time out.

A time out simply because I'm feeling that burnt out feeling again. Feeling like I never have the time to put my feet up and just rest. Waking up at 5:40am, gym, class, home, off to work till 10pm and all over again the next day. 

It feels good so far. Woke up a little after 9 (ahh 9 hours of sleep), sipped my coffee slowly and made an apple pie smoothie for breakfast and focusing the rest of the day on an essay. 

As much as I love working out and being healthy with food, it's so important to listen to your body. If it says no workout today, I need to rest, then do that. Easier said than done, as much as I want to go to the gym right now-I know my body will crush it tomorrow at 6:30am when bootcamp begins so thats worth it to me.

~

How do you know your body is at it's limit and needs to rest? 

On becoming friends with your parents

I had great parents (still do!) growing up, in my non-parent eyes they had that whole parenting thing down pat. They were strict with rules and truly wanted me to become a responsible adult who is kind, loving and thoughtful (among other things.)

Another reason why they rocked was because they were my parents growing up-not my friend. 

They didn't care if they were strict about bed times and other parents weren't and I told them so-and-so's parents let her do this. Good for her, they'd say. Going to bed at the same time everyday taught me time management. That you need a proper amount of sleep and don't have an unlimited time limit each day but that you schedule to fit everything in. Hello, that's me now. Planner.

They didn't care if I was "sick" and needed to stay home (let's be honest, I was good enough to go to school and just was being lazy)  because when we stayed home from school on the rare occasion, we were in bed all day. No resting while watching tv or doing errands with mom. In bed, resting. That's pretty boring and I know now why they made that rule up. Smart moves 'rents.

I know some of family members have told me in the past that they thought my parents had it all wrong---that that they needed to be more friend like with their children and less authoritarian with my brother and I. 

Well, I'm glad my parents raised me in "we're the boss", "we said so" way and had rules and structure for us. 

I realized this weekend as us 3 spent the weekend across the border shopping that I like hanging out with my parents. A whole day laughing and bonding like friends would and do. I find that pretty neat-to go from not friend like and now considering them my friends. 

And I know if you asked them, it's a nice reward to. 

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