Grain-free on St. Patty’s Day? You betcha!  

I love these because they're bright green without using any crappy food coloring. Spinach is the secret ingredient. But don’t worry, you’re vegaphobe loved ones won’t have a clue!

Green Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free, Grain-free)

Addapted from itsmecharolette.com 

         Ingredients:

         1 cup packed spinach

         1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

         4 Tbs of maple syrup

         3 eggs

         2 tsp vanilla extract

         5 Tbs + 1 tsp coconut flour

         1/4-1/2 cup of chocolate chips

         1/4 tsp salt

Preheat Oven to 350.

Use food processor to finally chop spinach. 

Throw coconut oil in processor and blended with spinach.

Pour in maple syrup and blend again.

Now add eggs, salt and vanilla and blend again.

Transfer the bright green mixture to a bowl. Add one Tbsp of coconut flour at a time, continuously mixing by hand until blended.

Throw in chocolate chips and mix.

On a greased cookie sheet, use a tablespoon to scoop up balls of dough and  place on cookie sheet. Slightly flatten each to cookie shape.

Bake 15 minutes. 

Back when I was hungry all the time and my digestion was a mess, I really believed I was eating well. 

I ate two bowls of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran every morning.

It said “Whole Grain” on the box. It had to be healthy, right?

By time I got to work, I’d be hungry enough to eat my keyboard or ready to take a nap. 

I had no idea my breakfast contained 10 teaspoons of sugar. More than a Snickers bar!

To pep me up, I’d grab a low-fat blueberry Stonyfield yogurt, which had more sugar than a frosted blueberry Pop-tart!

I was clueless.

And so my blood sugar peaked and crashed throughout the day.

I was a ball of positive energy one moment and ready to rip someone's face off for a granola bar the next.

Sound familiar?

Yeah, sugar addiction is a wicked cycle.

Along with making you feel like crap, sugar feeds disease, messes with your hormones and leads to weight gain.

Getting off the sugar hamster wheel was the best thing I ever did.

Here are my tips for kicking sugar addiction and reclaiming your health!

Drink water

Sugar cravings are often a sign of dehydration.

When your craving something sweet, try drinking a glass of water and then waiting a few minutes.

If you dive into the candy bowl anyway, being hydrated will at least help you from overindulging.

Sleep 7-8 hours at night

When our bodies are sleep deprived we crave quick energy, usually in the form of over processed, sugar-loaded snacks.

Unfortunately, sugar only gives us a temporary jolt of energy before we crash again.

Start by increasing your sleep by 30 minutes a night. You’ll be amazed how it lowers your hunger level during the day.

Read labels

Who the hell knows what a gram of sugar looks like?

Try this, convert grams to teaspoons by dividing by four. For example: 20 grams of sugar=5 teaspoons of sugar.

I have a serious weakness for nut butters. Almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, you name it.

Before almond butter was cool, years ago, I satisfied my peanut butter craving with brands that were loaded with sugars, salt, cheap oils and preservatives.

No wonder my health was a mess.

When I experimented with cutting out sugar, I started eating the real thing.

Guess what? Nut butters are freaking fantastic with just nuts!

This one ingredient Roasted Almond Butter is a creamy treat, great to slather on a banana.

It’s also the perfect refrigerator staple for smoothies and baking.

Can’t say I haven’t been caught with a jar of this stuff, eating it Ben & Jerry’s pint-style.

You’ve been warned.

Roasted Almond Butter

Ingredients:

2-4 cups unsalted almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven 425

Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil. Spread almond across foil and bake for 10 minutes. Let almonds cool. 

Process in food processor. At first, it will turn to dust. Scrape down the sides and continue to process. Do this several times. Have patience.

Stop when the almond oils have released and the butter runs smooth. This takes about 12-15 minutes. Place in container and store in fridge. 

Occasionally, I feel like I’m going to combust when I spot the growing pile of laundry on my couch.

It's right about when Legos are taking over my living room, I’m barking at the kids and I’m not even sure I remembered to brush my teeth that morning.

Yeah, It’s not pretty.

Being resentful of everyone who depends on me is a sure sign I’ve been seriously neglecting myself.


When we eat the right foods, not only does our health change, but our mood, relationships and overall happiness improves.
 


Yet, no matter how much broccoli we eat, if we’re not taking time for ourselves, life gets out of whack.


I know you’ve been there or maybe you’re there now.
 


It’s totally ok, there’s an easy way back to sanity and it won't take a ton of money or striving for perfection to get there.

Here are five simple steps to start making yourself a priority.
 

So, why bother?

Because unless you take time to fill yourself up with love, there won’t be much left in your tank for the people around you. 



Besides, you are so worth it!
 

Five steps to make yourself a priority:
 


Schedule a date with yourself

Schedule time for yourself every week. Put it on the calendar and stick to it.

This is not for food shopping or running errands. This is your time to pamper yourself.

My husband and I usually take turns on Sunday.

A yoga class or reading the paper with my phone turned off and I'm a new woman!

Parents and even people without kids have a hard time doing this.

There’s so much guilt around taking time for ourselves. But you owe it to yourself and the people around you to do this.

Knowing I've blocked time off for myself makes me such a cooler mom. 

Suddenly, I’m way more likely to leave the dirty dishes in the sink and get on the floor to play with my kids.

The best part, if something comes up and you get robbed of your “me time”, it’s cool, you’ve got it on the calendar for the following week! 

Take time in the morning

The best way to handle whatever life throws at you is to carve out time for yourself before you have to start running around.

Waking up to a rushed shower or a wide-eyed kid ready for breakfast is no way to start your day.

I like to do a short online yoga class in my living room before the sun comes up. 

If you’re not a morning person, no worries. Your feet don’t even need to hit the ground to take advantage of the early hours.

Keep a journal next to your bed and scribble down your morning thoughts.

Even if you’re writing “I’m tired” or “I need to buy new curtains” it’s a great way to clear out the clutter in your mind and start the day fresh.

I love keeping headphones next to the bed to listen to a guided meditation.  

Even waking up 10 minutes earlier to do something for yourself can transform your day.

Turn your bathroom into a mini-spa

Use products that make you feel fantastic.

You might not have time for a pedicure or a facial but you can still create a spa-like nook in the woman cave…aka, your bathroom.  

Lately, I’ve been overhauling my beauty products for less toxic and more natural ingredients. 

I’ve been particularly digging the aloe-herb cleanser and toning mist by Annmarie Gianni Skin Care.

Also, I've really liked Andalou's Pumpkin Honey Glycolic mask.

To find out how your product’s score for toxic levels, check out the Environmental Working Group's amazing Skin Deep Web site and free App.

Nourish yourself with delicious food

Too often, I catch myself filling up on all kinds of crap.

Eating granola bars in the car or the peanut butter and jelly scraps off my kids’ plates, is just sad and no way to nourish myself.

How we feed ourselves says so much about how we live our lives.

So prepare yourself delicious food. Eat sitting down and chew slowly. 

Get outside

If you can’t get away from your responsibilites, at the very least, get outside.

Breath fresh air and feel the sun on your skin.

Even in the dead of winter, we can sneak out of the office or drag the kids outside for 15 minutes.

Being stuck inside under florescent lighting is just depressing. 

A few minutes with the sun on your face can do more for you than Zoloft. 

Take a slow walk to your car, stand on your porch or put the snow pants on the kids and make it an adventure.

Just get out there!

Don't want to catch the funk going around?         

5 Steps to a Bulletproof Immune System

My kids spend enough time in childcare to bring home all kinds of booger producing fun.

I recently experienced a doozy when both got pinkeye, combined with some other funk that had my son vomiting.

Did I mention my husband was conveniently out of town?

If you’ve ever woken up with a crusty swollen eye, looking like a hot mess, you know how contagious conjunctivitis is. Constant hand washing is a must.

That protocol, however, was pretty much tossed as I cleaned up vomit and chased after kids with eyedrops.

Did I mention I absentmindedly ate baby carrots off my son’s plate and mistakenly kissed my daughter’s oozing eye?

You'd expect nuzzling up to all this infection would have taken me out. Not the case.

My immune system was well armed for the occasion because of these simple steps:

Hydrate

Our body is made up of 60 to 75 percent water. No wonder we start feeling like crap when we don’t get enough!

Water boosts immunity by flushing out toxins. And Unlike what Tropicana’s marketing team will tell you, orange juice does not boost your immune system.

One orange with the fiber-rich white membrane intact is great but when you condense the juice of a pound of oranges into one glass, it’s pure sugar, which actually shuts down the immune system!

Stick with clean filtered water.

Probiotics

I was shocked when I first learned 80 percent of our immune system is located in our gut.

That's why probiotics, which build the good bacteria in the digestive system, are so important. My personal favorite supliment is Metagenics Ultra Flora Plus.

Keep it in the fridge and take it on an empty stomach.

An even better way to get your probiotics is to eat naturally fermented foods, like Kimchi or Bubbies pickles. 

Sleep

The less sleep you get, the less likely your body will be able to fight colds and bacterial infections.

Sleep deprived bodies are also less likely to benefit from a flu vaccine.

A minimum of 7 to 8 hours is best.

Eat your vitamins

The absolute best way to bulletproof your immune system is to fill your plate with nature’s multivitamins: Green vegetables, fruit, flax seed, garlic, fish and pretty much anything that is a whole food.

Avoid alcohol, sugar, white flour and eat dairy in moderation, preferably organic.    

Decompress 

Stress suppresses your immune system. 

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: Everyone is stressed, It’s life.

I agree but it’s how you respond to it that counts. When faced with traffic, a load of work, a child pitching a fit…instead of tensing up and holding your breath, take five deep breaths with slow exhales and then face the situation.

Also, let yourself unwind. I'll admit I watched the entire series of Breaking Bad without coming up for air but finishing a stressful day by watching an intense TV show only keeps your mind in that fight-or-flight state. Instead, watch a comedy or better yet, try a soothing bath or a cup of decaf tea. 

If you follow all this and still get sick, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes getting sick is the body’s only way of communicating that it needs a break. So give yourself that break and don’t try to muscle through it.