Eggplant Buns

prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes

I have NEVER been successful at creating eggplant crisps/chips...especially thick ones. I was given a BEAUTIFUL eggplant by a friend recently and as always, the damn thing intimidated me. I originally thought, "Maybe I'll just dice it and add it to my breakfast scramble." Easy, right? No! I needed a challenge. So, yesterday, my partner and I were down to the last of our amazing 4 lb home-roasted chicken and I wanted leftover sandwiches. Kinda like Thanksgiving, but from a bird of another feather. The chicken was BEGGING to be put in a sandwich after 3 days of bathing in its own buttery, flavorful broth. 

My first roasted whole chicken! Turned out PERFECT!

Garden fresh veggies from my friend Elise. Damn eggplant!

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1 large (wide) eggplant 
• stable cooking oil/fat (lard, tallow, clarified butter, coconut oil, etc.) 
• a few pinches of sea salt
• any desired seasoning

WHAT TO DO

Amazon sells these for a great price! 

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Using a mandolin slicer set to the THICKEST slice setting, slice the eggplant into however many slices you need. Don't slice the entire thing if you don't plan on using it, it will brown and get all nasty. If you want to make "chips," use the thinner setting. 
3. Place each slice between a few layers of paper towels and press down evenly to remove as much excess moisture as you can without murdering the veggie. The more moisture you extract, the better.
4. Use your fingertips to rub an even, THIN layer of oil on both sides of each eggplant slice. Place them on a silpat lined baking sheet. I believe the success of this recipe is half technique, half equipment. Invest in a silpat liner, you will NOT regret it! 
5. Sprinkle some sea salt on the slices and/or your desired seasoning. 
6. Line the slices on your baking sheet and once the oven has reached 450F, place the sheet on the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Enjoy! You can eat them as is, or use them in place of bread like I did. These sandwiches were DELISH!

Easy Homemade Sushi (sans rice!)

Just in case you missed my lunch post this morning on my Facebook page, I'm sharing this ridiculously easy and DELISH lunch idea. I favor keeping my meals as simple as possible, and it's doesn't get any simpler than this! 

1. Lay out a piece of thinly sliced cucumber on your plate or cutting/prep board. I used a mandolin slicer on the thinest setting to ensure even slicing and flexibility.
2. Starting at one end, layer on your ingredients. I used: smoked salmon, avocado, carrots, boy choy, and green onion. You'll want to keep each add-in fairly thin and long. 
3. Roll tightly from the layered end to the opposite side and tie the roll to secure it using thinly sliced scallions or a kelp noodle.
4. Drizzle with sesame oil or sesame seeds for an added pop or color and/or flavor! 

Self-Love 101

Recently, while waiting for my name to be called to get my blood drawn at my local health center, I came across an article in Essence magazine (the May 2013 edition) entitled Love Yourself Tool Kit written by Gina Roberts-Grey.

The article talks about how women are usually nurturing, caring, and loving by nature but often neglect themselves. You know I talk about this allll the time. We are often so concerned with DOING FOR OTHERS that we forget to DO FOR US! I love being selfish and I encourage you all to do the same. Spend time with yourself, cook for yourself, do something daily that makes you happy.


These are the tools in the love yourself tool kit:

Let Go 
Forgiveness is empowering. Tell yourself aloud, "I forgive myself and I'm putting my best foot forward."

Commemorate a Win
Reflect on a goal you've achieved and relive the experience! Find your strengths by jotting down how you achieved that goal and with which skills. It could be anything from paying off a credit card to clearing a box in your storage.

Pick a Favorite Photo
Collect a few photos of yourself that you like and make a note of at least 3 things you like about each photo.

Build Your Bio
Write a 10-sentence autobiography that describes what's most authentic about you. Keep that bio handy to remind yourself who you are at your core.

Create a Feel-Good File
Save all of the uplifting texts and emails you receive from loved ones and write yourself a few of your own. When you need a "Go, me!" boost, throw yourself a compliment from the lot!

Make a Plan
Write out the blueprint for how you want your life story to read. Type it up or write it by hand. Start with where you envision yourself towards the end of a long, happy life and work backwards through all the positive experiences you will have enjoyed by embracing self-love.

Frame the Option of Acceptance
Write or print the phrase "You Deserve Happiness" on a piece of paper and frame it. Get creative with this; make it your own. Place your finished work somewhere prominent and BELIEVE that you're entitled to be happy!

Tap into Positivity
Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for negative self-talk. Be your own cheerleader instead of your own worst critic. When you're not feeling positive, acknowledge those feelings and choose to treat yourself with love and acceptance anyways.

Rethink Your Reflection
When you see yourself in the mirror or catch a glimpse of your shadow, resist the urge to critique the size and shape of your body. Focus instead on what you like about yourself.

Love It or List It
Create a list with two columns and label the left side "I feel" and the other side, "I prefer to feel." List your current emotions on the left and the emotion you'd rather feel on the right. Perhaps you feel lonely because you're not in a relationship but you could prefer to feel grateful for the love and support of your friends. Let this list serve as a reminder that you can choose to have a different attitude about yourself.

An in-depth look at my "Clean Shopping Machine" tactics

If you missed last months blog which highlighted all my super money saver shopping secrets, have no fear! Read it here! After posting that detailed manifesto, I received numerous requests for MORE. More details to be exact. Folks want to know not just HOW I shop, but WHAT I buy when I shop. So, I'm sharing all of my receipts from July with you so you can see exactly that!  

Disclaimer: You may notice that there isn't any fruit on any of these receipts. That's because none of my farmers markets receipts are shown here as they do not exist. I don't eat a lot of fruit but I do shop at my local farmers market every week and I always go just before closing (like I stated in my June blog) to score mega deals on organic produce! This is the only place I buy my fruit. I spend about $5 every trip. 

 Grocery Outlet: This is where I buy my uncured bacon and pastured chicken. They don't always have the same products in stock but I find that they have never been out of these items so I can count on them. You can find them all over the West Coast and they are growing and expanding at light speed! 

El Cerrito Natural: My FAVE place to shop. They have unbeatable prices on organic, local, produce! The prices you see here are REGULAR prices, not even sale prices! When they have sales, I go ape shit! 

I usually shop here 2-3 times per month. This time they had a special on local, sustainable, pastured ground beef (I mean, that is a STEAL of a deal!!!) so I hella stocked up! 

Safeway: I visit maybe once a month just to peruse the butcher station for deals on meat. I hella scored with this organic, pastured chicken breast deal!

Costco! The ultimate clean eaters shopping Mecca! Only $96 of this receipt is actual food. I typically spend around $100 per visit on food and I go twice per month: once in the 1st week and once in 2nd or 3rd week. They have a good selection of sustainable/humanely caught seafood, amazing prices on cage-free, organic eggs, and unbeatable prices on nuts. I also pick up deli meat from True Story. 

I always get my avocados, onions, and organic carrots at Costco too! They don't have a great variety of organic produce but a lot of what they do have is safe to buy conventionally grown anyways (see photo below). Every other month I pick up canned tuna and sardines as well. Their new jerky selection is AMAZING!!!

Click here for a larger version of this image. The onions, avocados, and mushrooms I sometimes buy at Costco are all on the Clean 15 list! I also know exactly where they come from and the practices and policies of each farm. I always do my research!

BEASTIN' & FEASTIN' Days 23-28: Vacation Time...Again!

This month has been pretty hectic. I've been busy for personal/life reasons AND my business has been picking up as well...I CANNOT complain about that! :) I spent the majority of last week and the week prior to it kinda freaking out about my first Whole Foods demo. I also came to realize that the anxiety it was causing me was probably not helping the situation with my injured shoulder. Not to mention, I hurt my back at the gym last Wednesday doing deadlifts. Now, I honestly have no idea how this happened. I am very familiar with deadlifts, this was far from my first time doing them. But never has my lower back hurt afterwards. My back was sore for 4 days. I could not bend over without pain. I'm going to have a little chat with one of the coaches at the box today because between my shoulder and my back...something is going on and I can't figure it out on my own. 

Breakfast Tuesday morning: Chicken sausage, 4-kale salad (Russian, purple, green, and Tuscan) with red onions and shredded carrots, avocado, tomato, and honeyloupe with raw, 12-month aged sharp cheddar cheese. Everything local and organic of course! 

Dinner Tuesday night: Spicy rockfish stir-fry

But, I am VERY proud of myself because I took even more time off from the gym and focused on myself and my healing. I got a 2 hour massage on Wednesday which I so desperately needed. I also decided I would incorporate massage therapy back into my life regularly so I'm signing up for bi-weekly massages with my new practitioner. Her name is Dominique and she is heaven sent! I had a gift card to Massage Envy from almost 4 years ago that I never used and I decided it was time. I didn't bother using it for this long because I had heard and read a lot of negative things about this business. However, I was SHOCKED beyond belief at how completely different my experience was. The place was impeccably clean, peacefully quiet, dimly lit when appropriate, fresh smelling, and the staff were professional, respectful, and kind. Dominique clearly knew her stuff and when I told her about my shoulder and back she nailed it by delivering a full body massage while spending 30 minutes alone on my right shoulder and 40 on my back. It was the BEST!

I should have known better. I always encourage people to try things themselves before passing judgment.

Post workout: I was caught off guard with a schedule mixup but I still searched for the cleanest possible snack to hold me over (and one that was $2 or less since that's all I had with me). I don't eat bars, powders, or supplements of any kind but this hit the spot! Three ingredients: almonds, whey protein isolate (highly preferred), and raw honey.
Sustainably produced, minimally processed, and non-GMO.

Testing out the newest addition to my kitchen: the spiral slicer! 

Dinner Wednesday night in preparation for my demo! Zucchini pasta with beef and veggie tomato sauce.

Then came Thursday and I was so amped for my demo at Whole Foods. I am forever grateful for the opportunity and excited for future demos to come! Once it started I was a lot less nervous. And when it was over I wanted to throw a huge party! My professional photographer partner (yeah...I'm super lucky!) Miki filmed and photographed the entire thing so I can play it back and learn how to do an even better job next time!

Thursday morning breakfast tacos! Probably my new favorite. Romaine lettuce with mashed avocado, chicken apple sausage, tomato, and leeks with bacon sautéed in butter. Baked sweet potato on the side.

Dinner Thursday night: arugula, raw cheese, oven roasted beets. Simple and delicious! 

At my demo, prepping before folks arrived.

There was a camera above my work station so people in the back could watch what I was doing! 

Sharing my story.

The finished dish: zucchini pasta with turkey tomato sauce and avocado. EVERYONE scraped their plates clean! 

Friday morning we spent a few hours packing and prepping for a 3 day camping trip. We headed out to Forestville to camp with some friends at one of our favorite sites, Mirabel Campgrounds. Although it was MUCH busier and louder than we have ever experienced it was still nice to be out in the trees, on the river, and laughing with friends without a care in the world. I need more of that in my life!

Ground beef for burgers, marinated chicken breasts, bacon, eggs, homemade mixed raw nuts and seeds, carrot sticks, zucchini for grilling, avocado, bacon fat, greens, ground turkey pasta sauce, leftover dinner, and garden fresh tomatoes.

Friday: homemade breakfast sausage with uncured Canadian bacon, an over easy egg, water sautéed purple kale and red onions, and garden fresh tomatoes and fruit.

Friday night: bacon wrapped chicken breast and we used the leftover in a salad the next day for lunch with arugula, avocado, and tomatoes. 

Found some wild berries near the river. They we SOOOOO sweet!! Holy ____! 

BEASTIN' & FEASTIN' Days 17-22: Vacation Time!

Words can't express how relaxed I feel. I had an emotional and painful (my shoulder has been KILLIN' me!) past week so I decided to take a mini-vacay. I went home to Carmel to visit my family and it was exactly what I needed. With all those emotions came bad food choices. But I don't dwell on them, it happens. The most difficult thing about where my body is at now is that I CAN eat carelessly and it wouldn't affect me like it would have years ago. Also, my appetite is monstrous. I mean seriously monstrous. Anyways, I'm not immune to some of the physical effects (see photo below) and that's enough to keep me in check. I get asked on an almost daily basis what I do or use to get my skin to look so clear. People often tell me I'm glowing. It's my diet. I don't use skin care products like that.

Normally, I have immaculately clear and radiant skin...but stress (and gluten/sugars) do THIS to me!

So what have I learned this week? Nothing new. I have a tendency to regress to old habits when I'm stressed or anxious. But that's something I have known for a long, long time. And what's been going on that's different? I've been anxious about my Whole Foods demo coming up this Thursday. I hurt my shoulder (doing snatches) and was stubborn about allowing myself time to recover. I'm saddened by the racial injustice in our country.

And how do I PLAN on getting my shit back together again? I'm letting go of the anxiety about this Thursday. I have done this (cooking demonstrations/tastings/workshops/presentations) several times before and although a little stage fright is normal, I'm not going to let it derail me. Everything is going exactly how I want it to in terms of my business. I love what I do, I love my clients, and I love what the future has in store for me. I know there is only one ME in this lifetime and no one else has what I have to offer the way I plan to offer it. Period. And that goes for you too! We are all unique and have a wonderful gift to share with the world. I'm happy that I have discovered my gift and am confident enough in myself to allow it to lead me on my path towards personal success, career wellbeing, and financial freedom! Also, I just enrolled at my community college to start a yoga program (thanks for the idea mama!) to work collaboratively with my vigorous and demanding training regime. I know I HAVE to be easier on my body. I feel it and I'm not going to ignore or deny it any longer. And the racial injustice part? Well, that's a tough one. Part of me is longing to move to another country and live off the land somewhere remote while another part of me wants to fight. What I'm most passionate about is food and nutrition education so that's where I will keep my focus. As long as I remain a good person and spread my gift and love to others, I feel great about my role in our current existence. I don't believe in fighting violence with violence. I want peace in my life and peace for others but I know it's something we all have to work for, together.

P.S. It's been 4 days since I've been to the gym, and I am 100% OK with that! :)

My typical morning while on vacay...my mama suggested I do some light yoga/stretching and I have to say I'm glad I did. I certainly feel a difference and even took an extra day off from the gym to allow my shoulder to rest even more.

Dinner! Rosemary braised lamb over cauliflower rice with steamed carrots and a side salad of arugula with roasted beets and toasted pecans

Lunch at Sol Food in San Rafael. Pollo al Horno!

Homemade seaweed salad (never done it before and didn't even have a clue what I was doing!) with grilled salmon over sautéed veggies and kelp noodles

Vacation lunch: Mixed greens, tomato, avocado, red onion, smoked turkey breast and easy dressing mixing balsamic vinegar with spicy mustard.

Vacation brunch

I dined out for ONE meal while on vacay, and this was it! Lamb kebabs over salad. SO GOOD!

Breakfast: Mustard grilled pork chops with homemade spicy apple preserves, homemade fermented cabbage, and mushrooms sautéed in butter. 

Dinner back at home yesterday: Grilled steak and onions, cauliflower rice cooked in bacon fat, steamed broccolini, and raw arugula with oven-roasted beets and fresh, raw cheese curds.

Carmel State Beach, one of my favorite spots/views back home! Beautiful

BEASTIN' & FEASTIN' Days 15-16: Finally got my MRI scheduled!

Dealing with being uninsured has been such a...journey. I feel for parents who struggle to make sure their children have reliable health care that doesn't cost them half their paycheck. It's been 4 months and 2 weeks since my seizures. YAY! No auras, no episodes, and no medication. I'm thrilled about that. I definitely still have a little anxiety every now and then but not nearly as much as the first few weeks after my experience. So I was supposed to have an MRI scheduled as a final test/rule out the possibility of brain damage or illness but I couldn't schedule it until I was insured. Fast forward 4 months, a million phone calls, a thousand emails, a thousand in-person visits, and a few faxes and here I am, finally insured! My MRI is in early August and I had my first follow-up with my neurologist today. It feels like a disturbance in my life right now, and I'll be grateful when I can celebrate a couple of years seizure free and won't have to have doctors, tests, restrictions, and medication in my life.

I wish everyone could have access to healthcare, especially people who actually need it.

My first time using kelp noodles. This dish came out WAY better than I expected. I had no idea what the hell I was doing but the sauce came out so deliciously and the flavors were on point! 

Breakfast yesterday. I am seriously obsessed with kale. I eat it EVERY day!! 

Pre-workout lettuce wraps. So simple, yet so delicious! 

Breakfast today. All organic and local ingredients means dressing would be an insult. This was SO damn tasty!! 

At the doctor's office today.