Taste of Paleo. Carne en sus Jugos. & Don't ever F 'n Quit.

Where to start?

I'll start here- 

Its about 4pm saturday, the day before Taste of Paleo, and I'm standing in my kitchen after having already spent the last 8 hrs slicing grass-freaking-fed-beef, yet somehow, Im  still surrounded by seemingly endless pounds of meat to be cut!

 I start to feel light headed. 

My mind gets clouded. cluttered. loud with thoughts. 

The worst kind of thoughts. FEARfull thoughts . 

the kind that paralyze. 

What if I don't finish? what if the dish is atrocious!? what if everything goes wrong? 

what if its a failure? what is everyone gets food poisoning?!?! Panic sets in. 

I swear, most of us are experts in self -sabotage. Especially right before something amazing happens, when we're stepping out into something new,  when we're about to make bold statements & changes in our lives!  (note to self- this is where growth happens. this is where the magic happens.  this is where the difference between ordinary- and EXTRAordinary happens. This is the place where FULLY living happens! )

...but still, even knowing all this, I'm exhausted. 

Im afraid. 

I just want to quit. 

I have blisters on my fingers from finely hand slicing grass-fed beef, 

and i want to just go crawl in my bed and cry. 

& to be honest, i did.

I put my knife down. took off my apron, sat at my kitchen table, and cried.

with the knowledge however, that after I let myself cry for  a bit, I was going to put that apron back on. 

pick up that knife. Take a deep breath. keep moving forward. 

I WILL get through this. 

I remind myself of the eloquent words I heard from a wise wise man,

-"don't ever fucking quit".

Pretty simple right? . . .  thanks dad. 

#wordstoliveby

simple as that. don't quit. 

push through. 

push through exhaustion. push through fear. push through doubt. 

through the unknown. the oh-so difficult.  the seemingly impossible. 

A few hours later, a knock at my door. some of my amazing friends show up at my door with a bottle of wine in-hand, ready to get to work in my kitchen-  the "brenda sweat shop" they called it that night. haha! Fast forward 6 hours more of beef slicing. It is now midnight & still tons of work to be done ... Another friend shows up at the door! lime-ah-ritas & BBQ chips in hand. Kinda funny, because we're cooking for a paleo food festival.  Funny, and awesome, and boy am I blessed! 

At this point Im now thinking- no matter what happens tomorrow,  how much we do or don't get done;  how can putting my whole heart into following a dream, giving my best, my all, in every single possible way & being so absolutely supported by family & friends be anything but a damn good thing? 

So, you know that dream you have? 

the one thats been tugging at your heart strings?

the one who's whispers you hear & try to ignore. . . thats the one to go after!

Ladies & gents, thats the good stuff. 

The stuff that makes us feel afraid. 

 that put us at risk for failure. 

Because it means we're dreaming big.

 & going for it. 

Dust off that dream. Take its hand. Don't let go. 

write it down. set a deadline. 

awesome, it is now a goal. it is now- in the realm of reality. 

Push through. 

I leave you with one last quote: 

"Everything Ive ever done that ultimately was worthwhile . . . initially scared me to death" 

& now, without further adieu-

carne en sus jugos

• 6 Slices Bacon 
• (about 1/2 of it cooked extra crispy for topping)
• 2 lbs Flank steak 
• (Carne asada meat thinly sliced)
• 4 tomatillos
• 1 to 2  garlic clove
• 1 to 2 serrano peppers 
• 1/2 onion

• Steps- 

  
  

  1. Combine the tomatillos, serrano pepper(s), garlic, and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. 
  2. Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble/Chop the crispy  bacon and set aside (this will be a topping.)
  3. Caramelize the 1/2 onion in rendered bacon fat. Attention garlic lovers: Optional here to include a second clove of garlic and caramelize it with the onion, for a bit more garlic-y flavor.  Transfer tomatillo, Serrano pepper(s), garlic, and caramelized onion into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside & allow to cool. 
  4. Place a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season your steak strips with salt, pepper & garlic poweder/onion powder to taste. Sear the finely sliced flank steak in the hot skillet until completely browned in the rendered bacon fat. Important note: when searing any meat, do not set it in the pan until oil is HOT, hot, hot! (but not burning). ***Searing meat caramelizes the sugars and browns the proteins present in meat, resulting in more appealing color and flavor. For best results: Pull the meat from the fridge and set it out until at room temperature before cooking it. This lets the meat relax, allowing the meat's natural moisture to reabsorb into the muscle, rather than staying trapped between the meat's fibers. Again, make sure the pan that will be used for searing is hot, hot, hot! Let the meat caramelize completely on one side before turning. The meat will self release from pan when ready to be turned. Most people make the mistake of turning it too early*** 
  5. Pour the tomatillo mixture over the beef and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat. Cover the skillet and simmer until tender. Stir in half of the bacon (also stir in pinto beans here, if desired)  into the flank steak stew, save the rest for crunchy bacon bit garnish. yum!
  6. Serve & Garnish with: finely minced green onion & cilantro, crunchy bacon bits,  avocado slices or a couple dollops of my whipped guacamole topping (see recipe below) & of course, . . . lime!
  7. ENJOY!

• 1/2 cup fresh minced cilantro
• 1/2 cup finely minced green onions
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Garlic/Onion Powder to taste
• 3 cups chicken/beef broth
• 2 cups whole-cooked pinto beans
• 1 large ripe avocado sliced
• 3 limes cut into wedges

Chef brendita's Whipped guacamole

4 ripe avocados (pit, peel, & cut in chunks)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/2 Tablespoon salt

2/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1. Place prepped avocados into food processor

-turn on high and let run until a "whip-py" consistency is achieved.

2. let food processor run; slowly drizzle in lime juice + other ingredients. 

ok. Voilá.  This is your starting "guacamole canvas".

3.  Taste.  love it? great!...possibly done. 

OR 

Feel free to make this- (INSERT your NAME HERE)'s guacamole. 

add salt…& anything else to taste!

 ideas:  jalapeño, pineapple, fajita seasoning, bacon bits? … more lime!

the possibilities are endless-

CREATE.

have fun

ENJOY !

Give these recipes a try and let us know how it goes! Post a picture on our Facebook page or email me! I'd love to hear how it goes. Brenda@livebeautifull.com 

The significance of 220. 1st Mommy & ME Class! & A Very Berry Galette

#220. 

My alarm goes off at 4:50am- I know what I'm going to do today. 

Go into my crossfit gym and PR (personal record) on my deadlift- aka 

GO BEYOND 

what I was able to do/lift last time. 

(for my non-crossfit obsessed peeps :P... safely and with good form of course! ) 

And so I did it. 

#220.

My new PR  

& thats the point. 

To LIVE with intention. with purpose. 

To know & believe that we can do the thing we set out to do. 

Its not about being stronger. or lifting heavy shit. (well, at least not for me) 

Or being better/stronger than someone else. 

Its about the awareness that I HAVE BEEN GIVEN ALL I NEED 

to do anything I set my HEART & mind to. 

The brains and mental capacity. to create a plan- 

the will  in my heart. the passion. the drive. the commitment - to then, execute.

-ENTER HERE- 

Teaching MY very First Mommy & ME cooking class!

I Absolutely adored every minute of this experience. 

And I can't wait to do it again!

The moms enjoyed quality time with their precious little ones, and even learned a thing or two about cooking and about baking with alternative - "better for you" flours, while the kiddos had tons of fun with the messy, and delicious hands-on recipe. 

And might i add- it was freaking good! I had to really keep myself from scarfing it down, i mean hello- i was in the middle of leading a class and had to actually talk to other humans. haha yum.

Couldn't have asked for anything better. 

Thank you to the Mommy's who allowed me to share this wonderful experience with them

 (aww i swear , getting teary eyed)

Simply Precious. 

OK so, in conclusion, THE MESSAGE is this: 

Whether its a #220lb deadlift, Mommy & me class, or whatever else- 

What do YOU want? 

What do you need to do to achieve it? (insert research, planning, actions, actions+ more actions)

How bad do you want it? 

ok now simple-  Do it. 

Make it happen.

Below-  a photo collage from one of the mommys from the class this past weekend: 

-Very Berry Galette- 

Dough

• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 egg white
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Very Berry Filling

• 3 Cups mixed Berries
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon coconut flour

Baking Instructions- 

• Stir together melted butter and honey.  Add egg white.  Add remaining dough ingredients.  Stir well to combine.  Shape dough into a round disk and cut into 4 wedges.  Shape each into rounds, flatten, cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat your oven to 325 and begin to assemble your galettes.
• Toss your Mixed Berries in  cinnamon and coconut flour.  Set aside.
• Roll out each disk of dough to a 6-7 inch round.  Gently rub each round with a little bit of coconut flour (t0 help prevent the crust from getting soggy)
• Decoratively arrange your Berries on each round, leaving a 1 inch border.  With a small offset spatula fold up edges over the peach filling.  
• Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove the galettes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack.
• Glaze the peaches with the honey/butter mixture.
• Allow galettes to cool and serve at room temperature.

-some Live Beautifull  FYI- 

WHY Almond Flour and coconut flour vs. regular/all-purpose Flour?
random fact (& food for thought)- Two slices of bread made with whole-wheat flour raise blood sugar higher than six teaspoons of table sugar and higher than many candy bars. damn. 

Most breads, desserts and processed foods use bleached or unbleached wheat flour. 
Flours are produced by crushing grains into fine powders. 
Refined white flour contains almost no natural minerals and vitamins. 

White all purpose flour is a highly refined food.
important to know because as a result of this process, pretty much all vital nutrients are destroyed. 
Fast forward years of excessive consumption highly refined foods- high on the glycimic index scale and nutrient deplete = Inflammation (insert here an lovely array of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis! cancer! yep cancer.) obesity, insulin resistance, blood sugar/insulin spikes, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, mental "grogginess", bloating and excess fat storage, depression...... 
etc.,  etc.,  etc, + more. 

a lil ABOUT Almond & Coconut Flour. 

Almond flour  is high in protein, low in carbohydrates and low in sugars. 
Almond flour is simply ground almonds, and offers the same health benefits as eating whole almonds.

Coconut flour is a soft flour produced simply from dried ground coconut meat.Coconut flour is rich in protein, fiber & fat. 
Its a good source of lauric acid, a saturated fat which support the immune system and even promotes good skin.

So much more. But this post is getting long.
Trust me. its better for you. 
And with a little bit of practice, can be made just as delicious.

Try these galettes & you'll see what i mean.
Galette is french for CAKE. 
so. . . Bon apetite!

ENJOY.