R4 P4 D16....

Sorry it has been awhile! Life has been keeping me busy :) The weight has been fluctuating between the 2 lbs and doing well. I weigh some days, and not others. Just trying to practice eating for the rest of my life and not taking it too seriously :) I have been out of the habit of exercising for so long now, I find myself not making time for it. So unlike me. I definitely need to get into a routine again. I have a few food finds to share with you.

The first is heaven in a jar :) This is sunflower seed butter, with added flax and hemp seed. This is sooooo good. It does not list sugar on the label, just organic vanilla powder. After one taste I immediately called the company because I knew there was some sort of sweetness in there!! They said their vanilla powder does have some sucrose, and they are changing the label. Even though there was not much, during P3 I was careful to have just a little at a time. It is amazing and most of the time eaten just off the spoon! I found it at Good Earth. It can also be found at Naturally Nutty. They have all sorts of flavored nut butters. My next one to try is White Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter...... :)

Next up, makes life easier and delicious at the same time! This is from Costco. Nothing but the pork, salt and water. Heats up in seconds and can be used a million different ways. My favorite lately is pork tacos in romaine lettuce leaves.

For someone who LOVES anything coconut, I can't believe I have lived without this all my life. If the sunflower butter is heaven in a jar, this is heaven in a can. I use it in everything. Soups, sauces, puddings, over fruit, frosting etc. It thickens things up and makes them creamy. I don't really taste the coconut once it is mixed in something else. Only when I put it on fruit can I really taste the coconutty goodness :) For those in P3 looking for a decadent treat without the sugar and starch try this pudding.

1 pkg sugar free pudding of choice

1 cup of cream

1 cup coconut milk

I said decadent. You can also use 1 cup greek yogurt and 1/2 cup cream, and 1/2 cup coconut milk to add in some protein. Basically you are adding 2 cups of liquid to the pudding. If you want less fat then use 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup coconut milk. Just make sure to blend the pudding and the thinnest liquid first really well then add the others and blend completely so you don't get pudding mix chunks. Here was my latest. I used Banana Cream pudding, with the 2 cups split evenly between cream, coconut milk (can), coconut milk (box). Of course I had to sprinkle with unsweetened coconut and some sliced almonds and cinnamon :)

R4 P4 D10...English Muffins!

Here is a picture of my favorite breakfast these days:

That is cottage cheese with sliced almonds, fine shredded coconut flakes, cinnamon and some market fresh raspberries. Usually I stir in a little greek yogurt, but I am out today! And along side that is my "english muffin" with butter and honey. I love these.

English Muffins

I use a magic bullet to blend. So in a magic bullet cup put:

1 egg

1/4 cup almond flour

1 TBSP flax seeds

2 tsp butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP water

Blend till smooth. It will be really thick. Spoon the mixture into a ramekin about the diameter of an english muffin. You can also use a mug. It will just be taller rather than wider. Microwave for 1 minute and 10 seconds. Invert onto plate and slice in half horizontally. Voila! Perfect english muffin :) Since I am putting butter and honey on mine I don't add any salt or sweetener. Feel free to sweeten or spice it up as you please.

Chocolate Cake.....with a secret!

Photo courtesy of Healthy Indulgences.

First off this morning was 147.0. That is +1.8 above LIW. I am wondering if being up could just be the natural transition of adding sugar and starch slowly, or still related to ovulation. Either way I am ok with it. My overall goal is to stay between 145.2 and 150.0 from here on out.

Second, I found this wonderful Chocolate Cake recipe over at Healthy Indulgences! It has NO sugar and NO flour! It is essentially made with black beans and eggs! Tasted exactly like cake. My husband hates beans with a passion. After 2 slices I told him the ingredients and he about died :) I would have taken my own picture, but they ate it all before I got any shots! She also has a vanilla version. You can also find a vanilla bean cake recipe at The Spunky Coconut. I will definitely be using these in the future. I am not one that likes frosting very much, but I made a frosting that was excellent. More like a thick chocolate mousse. So simple, but so good.

Sugar Free Chocolate Frosting

1 and 3/4 cup cream

1/4 cup coconut milk (regular milk is fine too)

1 pkg sugar free chocolate pudding mix (you can use any flavor you like)

Just put into a bowl and mix until thick and spreadable. It takes awhile to get it there. Very good!!! I cut the cake in two and filled the middle and frosted the top!

R4 P4 D1...

First day of P4 starts off with a bang :) I am exactly +2.0 above LIW this morning. I ate out a lot over the weekend, and had a slice of real lemon cheesecake last night after dinner. So today, I will eat at home and be good :) Life has been so hectic, I think I will try and maybe read some of my book I have been trying to read forever. I also need to think about starting my workouts, and deciding what type of exercise I want to incorporate. It is sunny today, but it was definitely COLD this morning! Sad to see summer go. I love fall, but winter is way too long in Utah. I need to be one of those people who spends half the year in one location, and the other half in another :) Sounds fabulous to me!