Grain-Free Tabbouleh

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I love Tabbouleh.  If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a middle eastern dish, some call it a salad.  It's SO fresh and smells amazing.  When I eat it I just feel the nutrients and live enzymes it has....it's one of my favorites.  I have made it for years and have tried many different versions.  The classic real Tabbouleh made with bulgar wheat is delicious.  I've made the same recipe with quinoa and this did not turn out well.  It was "gummy"...yuck.)

Since living a Paleo lifestyle nowadays, I just leave the grains out!  I add riced cauliflower, which gives it amazing texture.I'm so excited, because what I love about Tabbouleh...the wonderful flavor... is still in this dish.

I actually don't often follow a recipe for this one.  I just pull out the things that I used to put in my classic Tobbouleh, plus some extras.  Here's what I use....

Grain-Free Tabbouleh
This Paleo version of Tabbouleh is just as delicious as the original. It smells so fresh...it's one of our favorites in our house!

Recipe Type: Side Dish or Salad
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Author: Happy WifeStyle

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of Italian (flat leaf) parsley, minced (see blog post for a trick on an easy way)... I like to add some minced mint too...it's delicious.
• 3 radishes, chopped finely
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• 1/2 of a large english cucumber, finely diced
• 1 lemon, about 2 Tablespoons fresh juice
• about 1/2 tsp lemon zest, from the lemon above
• about 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• sea salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp...you can also use Kosher salt)
• pepper to taste (about 1/8 tsp)
• handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped in quarters
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• about 2-3 cups "riced" raw cauliflower. (Chop into florets and pulse in a food processor until the consistency of rice)

Instructions

1. Add all chopped ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Whisk together the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt & pepper.
3. Pour dressing over the top and toss to coat.
4. Serve immediately or chill to let flavors combine.
5. Add lemon juice and salt to taste before serving.

Here's how I prepare my parsley... Wash it, pat dry.  Cut off the end of the bunch that doesn't have leaves.  I take the time to roughly pick the leaves from the stems.  Like this...

Put all of the leaves in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup and chop it up with sharp kitchen scissors.  Just cut away!!!

It will reduce down to this when it's minced....

I then put it on a cutting board and run my chef knife through it a few times to make sure it's nice and finely minced.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper.  Put all the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix together.  Pour the dressing over the mixture and toss to coat.  Take a whiff of that FRESHNESS!!  I like to chill it for a bit... this also lets all the ingredients blend together;)  Add more salt and lemon to taste.

You can serve this on it's own, in cabbage or lettuce cups, or alongside my Killer Curried Chicken Thighs.  You could even add some chopped rotisserie chicken right in there for a complete meal...Mmmm.  Enjoy!!

30 Day Little Black Dress Challenge

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Ok everyone...the start of a brand new month is approaching...you know what that means!  It's been a while since I've lead you through a 30 Day Discipline.  I've been thinking of a fun challenge for August... so here it is!!  TheLittle Black Dress Challenge!

I will be starting this challenge on August 1st!  Join me and let's envision ourselves as tough,fit and confident as the women in this photo, shall we? ...after all, we ARE!  Use mine, or I encourage you to find a "little black dress" photo that inspires YOU and look at it daily for motivation and inspiration.  This one just spoke to me....it makes me envision myself as a strong, sexy character in the Bad Blood Taylor Swift video or something... come on, have some imagination and have fun with it!!  I'd love to see your LBD inspiration photos, so feel free to share them with me on Instagram using the hashtag #hwsLBDchallenge

TO ENTER:  

1.  Post a LBD (little black dress) inspiration photo on Instagram using the hashtag #hwsLBDchallenge & tell me why the pic you chose inspires YOU.

2.  Post as much as you want (with that hashtag) throughout the month and you just might increase your chance at the secret prize!  

3.  On the final day of the challenge you must post a photo of your choosing telling me that you completed the challenge! (use the hashtag so I can see it!)  Winner will be announced the first week of September!!!

I plan to screenshot this 30 Day workout plan on my phone so I know what to do each day...feel free to add this to your current workout routine, or not, and adjust to your level of fitness.  Do what you can...your only competition is YOU.  :)

If this is your very first 30 Day Challenge, I encourage you to read about the benefits... and the confidence completing one can give you in my blog post:

Gain Confidence in Just 30 Days - The 30 Day Discipline

30 Day Disciplines have helped me gain confidence and helped me reach goals over the years... They are so important to work into your life.  I think they can help you too.

As usual, I'll be sharing pics and motivation throughout the month over on Instagram using #hwsLBDchallenge and it's SO much more fun and successful when we do a challenge as a group....so let me know you're in and let's motivate each other!!!

We are going to rock that LBD ladies!!  :)  Remember...have a plan, not a dream.

And P.S.  ....those who participate and complete the challenge will be eligible for a special prize!!!  I can see your participation on Instagram by using the hashtag #hwsLBDchallenge  :)  This may be a hint...I looooove Nordstrom.... you can always start browsing for a new LBD!  Here, I'll make it easy for you with this link....

Related Blog Posts You May Enjoy....

Gain Confidence in Just 30 Days - The 30 Day Discipline

How to Set Goals in 5 Simple Steps

The Law of Attraction

-photos in this post are from Pinterest.com

Roasted Shishito Peppers

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I had these Roasted Shishito Peppers for the first time at the Fremont Diner on Highway 121 in Sonoma.  I remember being afraid to taste one because they look like they'd be hot....but they were completely mild and delicious!

I forgot about them until my recent trip to New York when we went to an amazing dinner at Sushi Samba in the West Village.  Roasted Shishito Peppers were served as a first course with lemon wedges and flakey sea salt.  I fell in love with them all over again.

Roasted Shishito Peppers

These are the perfect healthy appetizer!

Ingredients

• 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 8 ounces whole shishito peppers (or Padron chiles)
• Flakey course sea salt
• lemon wedges

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Cook peppers, turning occasionally with tongs, until they begin to blacken and blister on all sides.
3. Drain on paper towels.
4. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.
5. Serve with extra lemon and flakey course salt.

We had some friends over this weekend and made an appetizer of deviled eggs and these roasted shishito peppers and they were so easy....and so delicious.  This is what shishito peppers look like, if you cannot find them, Padrone chilies can also be used.

This is the flakey course sea salt I found at Sprouts...it was perfect.

I hope you enjoy these Roasted Shishito Peppers.  They are so inexpensive and easy!!

Paleo Burger Pile!

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Everyone loves a good burger. I must admit, the way I enjoy a burger now is quite different from the way I used to enjoy a burger before switching to a Paleo lifestyle.

A burger for me before wasn’t even worth considering unless it had American Cheese, usually two slices….and it came on a bun.

So, switching to a Paleo lifestyle where bread and dairy are not a part of my day to day life anymore, it’s surprising to me just how much I still love and enjoy burgers. See, people can change.

Nowadays, one of my favorite ways to enjoy a burger is a plain patty with homemade mayo slathered on top. That served alongside some greens….that’s just delicious in my opinion and often a “go-to” if I’m eating out. My next favorite thing to do at home is to create what I call a “Burger Pile”. It’s just like it sounds…I just pile whatever I happen to have on hand on a burger!

My husband loves this too, so I thought I’d share last night’s Burger Pile creation with all of you so you can see that there is life beyond the Cheeseburger.

While my husband grilled some grass-fed burgers out on the grill, I baked Brussel Sprouts in the oven until crispy. (Click the link to see my recipe for how I make my Brussels…they are delicious;)

A quick note about meat quality. That is something else that has changed significantly since I’ve gone Paleo. I pay way more attention to where my meat comes from. Back in my cheeseburger days I didn’t even know to “care” about something like that. Now I care a lot. I’m lucky to have some harvesters of high quality, tasty meat in my life, my husband being on of them. So, most of the time I don’t ever have to buy it. I just go out to my freezer and pick out some ground elk, buffalo or venison for my burgers. Once you have gotten used to eating such high quality, grass-fed meat, you really notice the inferior taste of low quality meat. I used to think you had to “doctor up” game meats with bread crumbs and seasonings to cover up the “gamey" flavor. Not true. High quality game meats are delicious and are becoming more prevelent in health food stores. I season mine with salt, pepper and a little BBQ seasoning from Savory Spice Shop. My husband usually grills the burgers out on the grill, but sometimes I cook them inside on a cast iron grill pan on medium-high heat, for about 5 minutes per side. If you’ve never tasted game meats…I encourage you to try it. It’s way healthier and extremely lean.

A couple of days ago I was running around all day, getting ready for my trip to New York for the BlogHer Conference and didn’t even think about dinner until it was almost dinner time! I hadn’t thawed out any meat, so I stopped at Petaluma Market and went to the meat counter to see if they’d have anything that looked good. I realized I’ve been so spoiled with meat for so long that I don’t buy it that often. As I looked at the ground meats, they had “ground beef” for around $5 per pound and they had lean grass-fed ground beef for a little over $8 per pound. For me, it wasn’t even a question…so worth it in my opinion.

Here’s how I built our “Burger Pile”… Brussel Sprouts, Grass-Fed Burger patty, homemade Mayo, sunny side up egg, sliced avocado, diced cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkle of pepper. It was so good. It got me thinking how much more I enjoy this burger than my old cheeseburgers. Not only does it taste better, it leaves me feeling good. All of it is good FOR me…yes, even all that healthy FAT! ;)

Get creative with your Burger Pile! If I didn’t have to get to packing that night….I definitely would have added some sugar-free bacon to that pile.

I hope you experiment with your family’s burger nights at home! Try ditching the cheese and bun and create something more healthy and fun for YOUR family. Enjoy! :)

Amazon Prime Day

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Have you heard? It's Happy Amazon Prime Day on July 15th!  They are celebrating turning 20 years old by offering deals that they say will be better than Black Friday!  What!?  For someone who gets her cardio through shopping, like me....it's worth a look!  :)

So what's the catch to participate in Amazon Prime Day?  You do have to be an Amazon Prime member to participate in these deals.  Most people I know, including me, are already Prime members...if not you can sign up for a free 30 day trial to see if you like it.  After that, it's just $99 per year.  I think it's totally worth it with all the shipping fees saved!  What else does Prime membership mean?  In addition to the deals on July 15th, you get free 2-day shipping on millions of items, photo storage, instant streaming of many movies and TV shows, and access to books and music.

I love Amazon, they usually have the best deals I can find anyway....so I'm looking forward to see what I can score on Prime Day!

Click here to find out more about Amazon Prime Day!  Happy shopping! ;)

barre3 Workout

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When I find a workout I love...I'm going to share it with all of you!  So, I'd like to introduce you to my newest find... barre3.

I am the first to admit I am not a Crossfit kind of girl.  When I first got involved in the Paleo community, I found out that Crossfit and Paleo tend to go hand in hand.  With Crossfit gyms popping up on every corner, it's hard to ignore.  I love the Paleo lifestyle.  Crossfit just isn't my thing....& that's okay with me.

I think exercise should be enjoyable.  It's just a matter of finding that "thing" that works for you.  I've always enjoyed working out on my own, on my own time.  I enjoy hiking, stand up paddling, tennis and getting outside in nature.  For me, I just like to move my body.  It's probably the introvert in me that makes me anxious in group classes.

I've tried many different things over the years and what I know for sure is...If it's not enjoyable in some way, it won't last.  My favorite workouts have always been DVD's.  They just work for me and I'm self motivated to do them at home.  I also like to change it up every once in a while so as not to get bored.  It's motivating to find a new workout to get excited about!  Recently, someone in my wonderful Instagram community told me about barre3.  I checked it out, it clicked, and have been doing these workouts ever since...THIS is the kind of workout I've been looking for!

So what is barre3?  Here's what they have to say....

Balance, strengthen, and lengthen the body with moves inspired by ballet, yoga, and Pilates...

Our workouts are designed to transform the body to one of equal balance, strength and flexibility.

Many think that the "3" in the name comes from the combination of ballet, yoga, and Pilates...but it actually has more to do with "balance", as they explain here....

Our signature 3-step sequence delivers a balanced, total-body workout that you can do anytime, anywhere. All movements are low-impact and designed to burn fat, build muscle and break through plateaus.

1.  Isometric holds work your muscles to their deepest point and increase strength and endurance. Holding still strengthens your muscles continuously; it also gives you time to make sure your alignment and posture are perfect before you move.

2.  Next, we add controlled 1-inch movements. These create just enough relief in the muscles to maintain the integrity of the hold for maximum benefit. By layering on one inch, you heat the body, increase your core strength, and rev your metabolism.

3.  After completely taxing the muscles, we flush out the body with functional, large, dynamic moves. This cardio blast lifts the heart rate, improves circulation, and energizes the body.

A Workout That Works for Everyone

Anyone can do this low-impact sequence and see dramatic results. It doesn’t matter if you’re 20 or 75, if you’re a turbo athlete or you haven’t worked out in years, if you have back pain or a knee injury, if you’re pregnant or just had a baby. No matter who you are, barre3 will help you lose weight, build strength, and transform your entire body.

Sadie Lincoln, barre3 founder, works closely with a team of experts including yogis, professional dancers, doctors, and athletes to craft highly efficient workouts. Focusing on a unique combination of dynamic movement and isometric holds, the sequences work strategically to transform the body and develop long term postural benefits.

There are two ways you can do barre3 workouts.  You can attend classes if there is a barre3 studio near you.  I don't happen to have any studios near me, so I do the online workouts  at home and am loving them!  This is what the online workouts offer....

There are hundreds of videos online ranging from 10 minutes to 60 minutes, so you can always get your workout in even if you're short on time.  You can also download their app on your phone to get your workouts in on the go!  They've thought of everything to cover all those excuses you can come up with!  They have workouts that use minimal props like the ball (which deflates for travel) and a resistance band, but they aren't mandatory.  Each workout lists what props are used in that workout, so you know before you start.  I find that they intensify the workouts and I really like using them.  Most workouts also use a yoga mat.  I'm also a sucker for cute accessories and I love that this company has style!  Their shirts are actually stylish...LOVE that.  I love my Trucker Hat pictured above.  As soon as I saw it I had to have it.

These workouts may not look intense, but they are.  They work your muscles to fatigue and that's when the magic happens.  They call them "quakes" when your body starts to literally shake from going to failure.  They also always show you modifications from easier to harder depending on your level and ability.

I'm also enjoying the barre3 blog.  They talk about a healthy lifestyle, how barre3 is a great pre and post pregnancy workout, and recipes and nutrition...they even have wonderful "mocktail" recipes!  (You know how I love a good mocktail!) ;)

My body type responds well to this type of workout.  I have my mom to thank for that.  My mom was a ballerina and even though I am no ballerina, it is helping me build strength while keeping me long and lean.  Even if you've never tried something like this before, try something new...you might enjoy it!

I've been just choosing different workouts online for now....but they have different programs and challenges if you are someone who needs more guidance.  They offer "28 to Great", "10 to Go" and "7 Day Body Blast".  They also offer DVD packages for home use.

For more information about subscription information and classes, visit barre3.com.  Between this and getting outdoors, it's all about keeping my body moving, happy & healthy!  Enjoy!

-italics are taken from the barre3 website.