I started this blog because after changing my diet for 30 days I was so hooked. I talked to anyone and everyone that would listen to me about paleo. I figured that all my jabber was probably getting a bit annoying so I thought blogging would be a great outlet for me.

Honestly, I’m not sure how many people read my blog. Maybe no one does. Well, I’m sure my mom does. Hahaha! Either way I find it enjoyable to share my experience with the world, and even if only one person follows, it’s worth my time.

Pretty much all of the recipes that I share here are not my own. They are just my personal favorites that I have tried that I decide to share. I have a few paleo cookbooks, and follow some paleo bloggers. I also do lots of google searches for paleo recipes. My favorite paleo blogger/author is Julie Bauer of Paleomg.com Her recipes are consistently delicious and pretty simple. I have 2 of her books, and make many of the recipes from her website. I’m a bit of a stalker…lol! Not really, I just love her recipes. You will too if you start making them!

Anyway, about a week ago, she shared one of my instagram photos that I had tagged her in. What’s crazy about it is she has over 238k followers. INSANE! It was about 11am when I logged on to find that I had 70 new followers. I thought there must have been some mistake. Or maybe it was 70 of those fake pages. The follow for follow kind or something. Turns out they were all real people that were interested in my story. How cool?!?!! I am so humbled and thankful for this opportunity to share my experience!

When this all started out I figured my family and close friends would follow me. I guessed a couple hundred people at the most. I never imagined over 650 strangers would be interested in my paleo journey. Today I have over 700 followers and the number climbs a little each day. It just amazes me!

I know that sometimes, just the idea of changing your diet is scary. It sounds almost impossible. I hope that you can find a little inspiration here. I hope that my words are helpful to you with your own journey. I am so thankful to all of you who have chosen to listen to me ramble on about my meals and experiences.

The past 21 months have been a really fun and exciting learning experience for me. I feel happier and healthier now than ever before. I am hoping that someday I can start creating some of my own original recipes too. But for now, I will continue to share some of my favorite finds. I have shared this one before, back in February of 2015, but it is so delicious, its worth sharing again. My husband and little one love it too, so its definitely a keeper! Hope you enjoy it too!                                                                     

Going away for vacation is so nice. I LOVE traveling! The only downfall is that I don’t really get to cook while I’m away. Some of you may be thinking that’s a good thing, not a bad thing, but I really, really, really miss cooking when we go out of town. (totally different from about 2 years ago. Back then I could not care less about cooking!)

Spring break was a nice little get away for us. We got to visit family in Washington State and Canada. We were able to celebrate Easter with my husband’s family, and had a really great visit. Only bummer is it was super hard for me to stay on track this trip. I found myself eating little handfuls of jelly beans (and I don’t even really love jelly beans!) We ate out quite a bit, and my options were pretty limited. Like fried chicken with fries, or fried chicken on top of some lettuce…..Obviously I chose the lettuce, although those fries sounded pretty darn good! 🙂 We also ate with family quite a bit, and sometimes I find that to be difficult as well because I feel like a complete jerk when I have to say “I can’t eat that”  I choose to say I can’t eat certain things, not because it will kill me, because, lets be real, I’m not gunna die if I eat bread or pasta, but because I’m pretty sure my body will be mad at me and my tummy will not be happy, and who wants to feel sick on vacation?? So, a few times I just went ahead and said “I can’t eat that” like a pain in the butt, and I ate a completely different meal than everyone else. But, it didn’t really seem to bother anyone, and it all worked out!

So now that we are home, I am cooking all of our favorite dishes. I got right back into my normal routine, which is making my dinner menu/shopping list and going to the grocery store on Sunday, then I have everything I need to cook dinner every night. I always try to make enough so that we have some left overs for lunch the next day. I usually have eggs for breakfast during the week, but this week I decided to take a little break from eggs and make another healthy and easy breakfast. My newest favorite breakfast addiction is CHIA PUDDING. OMG it is so yummy! The cool part about it is there are endless variations of it, so you can mix it up and not get tired of it too quickly.

You have to make it the night before so that the chia seeds have time to absorb the liquid. They create a thick, pudding-like consistency. It can be made with any type of milk, and any type of nut butter. You can also add cacao powder, or vanilla extract, or almond extract, etc. to give it a different flavor. You can eat it plain, or you can top it with any variety of nuts, fruits, seeds, honey, shredded coconut or all of the above!

I have made about 5 different chia puddings  since I discovered it. Its so easy, and  handy to have for a quick breakfast, or you can add extra honey, agave or stevia and serve it for dessert. Such a versatile little seed! From the research I’ve done I’ve learned that Chia Seeds have a number of health benefits too. They contain Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils. They are able to absorb over 10 times their weight in water which makes them a great enhancer in hydrating our bodies. They absorb the water we drink, holding it in our system longer. Chia seeds help you feel fuller faster, so you are less hungry, which could aid in weight loss. They are also high in fiber, and loaded with antioxidants. I guess that is why these tiny seeds are called SUPERFOODS! I think they are super duper!!