Coconut Carrot Cream Soda Zevia Pudding Recipe

09/22/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Are you looking to add something new, exciting, and different to your list of healthy treats? With the help of my favorite (and only one I drink) soda brand, Zevia, I have just the recipe for you. If you think making pudding with soda sounds impossible, prepare to be amazed.

Maybe amazed is a bit extreme, but either way, this pudding is delicious (confirmed by Avery), and healthy enough to eat for breakfast.

I’m proud (and lucky) to team with Zevia to help spread the word about their #ClearlyDifferent campaign to let the world know they are now Non-GMO Project Verified and color-free. That’s on top of being zero calorie, sugar-free, and having no artificial anything! I wrote a post about this a few months ago if you’d like to read more.

Want to give up your beloved sugar-laden soda in place of healthy alternative like Zevia but fear having withdrawals from a certain flavor? Never fear, Zevia has 15 flavors all rocking the healthy specs mentioned above. Seriously, making the healthy switch should be no problem. Here, let Avery help you out….

If you’re still confused, she can help again. Just follow her lead and put it to your lips to take a drink. The following burst of healthy deliciousness will take care of the rest. Since her first taste of #TheNewSweet of Zevia, she’s all smiles every time I bust one out.

But hold on just a minute. Technically, you don’t have to drink Zevia, they have plenty of recipes to prove it. And today, I’m adding one more to the mix. It’s one I have never seen anywhere else and am totally happy with how it turned out. I used Cream Soda Zevia to create a creamy vanilla pudding with a healthy dose of carrots and coconut.

You might think it’s difficult to make, but on the contrary; the only hard part is waiting for it to chill. Which, trust me, really is hard!

Coconut Carrot Cream Soda Zevia Pudding

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients (Approx. 32 Ounces)

1 ½ cups steamed carrots (about a 1 lb bag of baby carrots)
¼ cup cold water
1.5 Tbsp. Great Lakes Grass-Fed Gelatin
1 Can Zevia Cream Soda
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Dash of sea salt
Optional: 5 – 10 drops pure liquid vanilla stevia for extra vanilla sweetness

Instructions

1. With carrots still hot from being steamed, add all ingredients to blender or food processor and blend until carrots are pureed

2. Dissolve gelatin in the cold water

3. With blender/processor running on low, pour in the gelatin and turn up the speed to completely mix it in.

4. Pour into heatproof container and chill in fridge at least 6 hours, preferable overnight.

5. The pudding should be solid, like jello, after sitting. You can eat it like this or use electric or hand beaters to whip it into more of a pudding consistency.

6. Top with extra cinnamon and enjoy your healthy, dairy-free, egg-free, and delicious vanilla pudding!

*Alternatively, you could use a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree, just make sure to heat it before putting in blender so the gelatin will bind once added.

Now, go grab a six-pack or two (or three or four) of Zevia and try this recipe along with several others. Don’t forget to simply drink and enjoy too. While you’re savoring your soda, share a pic of you enjoying Zevia, share it by tagging them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with hashtag #ClearlyDifferent. If they share your pic, they’ll, as they say, thank you with a soda high 5!

Please let me know how it turns out if you try the recipe, and remember to share it with your little ones. Also, make sure you have extra Zevia to drink while cooking!

Note Avery’s bottle with the #ClearlyDifferent soda that’s free of color!

Food, Life, Parenting

Weekend Recap: Parental Ailments & Toddler Head Planks

09/21/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

You know how you can make awesome plans for the upcoming weekend only to have them fall out of place for one reason or another? That pretty much happened to us this past weekend.

Not like we had a full agenda lined up, we just planned on being in good health to tackle our backyard project and continue with my Squat Every Day routine. Well, an infected and inflamed eye for Going Mom and some sort of sharp pain (thinking rotator cuff tear) in my right shoulder kinda wiped the whole “in good health” part of our weekend out.

My poor wife has been battling her eye infection for several days and it has only gotten worse. I think, but we’re not entirely certain yet, that it’s on its way to getting better, but only time will tell. It’s driving her, and therefore me, crazy, and I wish I could do something to rid her eye of the crap.

For me, I’m sure my OCD habit to exercise with heavy weights almost daily helps my shoulder pain not one bit, but I keep going anyway. We had a lot of rain which made the ground nice and soft (very muddy), so I did what I could in the backyard by shoveling dirt and moving it out with a wheelbarrow. Yeah, all “smart” moves when you’re nursing an injured shoulder.

I’m hesitant to go to the doctor because, one, sometimes all symptoms disappear when I do, and two, making Avery go to the doc with me after her having to go not long ago would be traumatic for the poor girl. Again, time will tell, and then I’ll tell you here on the blog. I know you’re all concerned, right? 🙂

Speaking of, the one person not ailing this weekend was our growing girl, so that’s a plus!

With a painful eye, Kelley still took some excellent shots of Avery while cleaning all around the house. We aren’t idle people, so even when we’re sick/hurt, we still find stuff to do. The house is much cleaner as a result.

Avery “helped” Mommy clean and rearrange things all over the house this weekend and she hardly wanted anything to do with me. I’d ask her one question and she’d run away whining to Kelley. Meh, I know it’s just a phase. Besides, I was able to get a lot of cooking done for my two beautiful girls without having to worry about tripping over a quiet toddler in the kitchen. Cooking parents, you know what I’m talking about.

Butternut Squash and Kale Fritatta=Winning — Butternut Squash and Kale Fritatta = Winning

She has become great at working out with Mommy and Daddy, and the newest exercise seems to be the plank. Luckily, she’s not doing that in the kitchen, yet, but a more advanced version using her head and rocking chair.

I don’t know about you, but that would hurt my neck amongst other things and I’m proud of her feats. She knows she strong too. How strong you ask? Well…

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A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

We never taught her to pump her fist like that, but it’s only right that she does it to show her strength. Right?

Not much outside playtime happened as a result of the rainy weather, and poor Avery didn’t exactly understand.

But getting to spend time with Mommy seemed to make her forget about outside. As is apparent….

Now we’re back to the beginning of another week, but Kelley will be taking off to stay home as I go to the National At-Home Dads Convention from Thursday to Sunday. I’m excited, a lot, but I know I’ll miss my two girls back home and will be eager to see them on Sunday.

I have a little food prep to do so my wife can enjoy my excellent cooking (yeah, I’m biased) while I’m away. I feel this week, short as it may be, will still drag on.

Do you still find things to do when you should really just be resting?

Do you like going to conventions? Any ones in particular if so?

Going Strong, Life, Parenting

Squat Every Day Routine + An Open Garage Door Violation

09/19/2015 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Both sound crazy, right? Who could/would squat every day, and what’s with getting a violation for having your garage door open?! Well, both are current happenings in the Going household, but only one is actually crazy.

Yeah, the violation for a freakin open garage door! Our neighborhood Facebook page was filled with comments from so many of our neighbors all fired up from receiving the same waste-of-ink-and-paper violation. One neighbor mentioned how she was just going in and out putting up groceries when they took a picture of her open garage door “violation”.

Seriously, are we paying dues to our HOA to have someone go around and take pictures of our homes and then send them to us in the mail saying an open garage door is wrong? All I know is that I will continue to have our garage door open as I please. The neighborhood is currently plotting how we’ll send our own violation notices to these people for things that actually pose a concern and detract from our neighborly appeal. I’ll let you know more as the plot thickens.

What’s even more irritating is that Avery and I actually were using the garage then. In fact, with the current strength routine I’m following, Cory Gregory’s Squat Every Day, I’ll be using it *gasp* every day. So, to our ever so protective HOA, here’s a calendar for you to see I will, in fact, be using my garage EVERY. DAY.

The day they took the picture, Monday, September 14th, was my first official starting day. If the photographer stuck around a little longer, they would’ve seen a Daddy-Daughter Duo rocking our squats.

She’s moving up from her body weight squat days and using a ~~wooden rod~~ Olympic barbell now. I had to correct her form a little and let her know to keep a serious face when “going heavy”. She did better on the next set…

Just to be clear, I wasn’t actually making her do squats. Like all kids, they absorb everything their parents do and she has taken to many forms of exercise to mimic Mommy and Daddy. Another good one is overhead press.

Watch out, boys, this girl can hold her own! So, to all parents, let your kids see you being active and healthy, including cooking in the kitchen, and chances are, they’ll want to do the same. Free tip o’ the day there.

Back to the Squat Every Day program, I’m loving it. I am one of those guys who has to do something active every day or I get irritable. It’s like a drug; one that only I can prescribe and follow. Only a week in, but I know I’m “addicted”.

This doesn’t mean it’s easy, squatting with a heavy barbell every day takes a lot of mental and physical fortitude, but that’s why it’s great. One of my favorite athletes, Dean Karnazes, has an excellent quote that I completely abide by.

Who’s guilty of doing this? I was years ago, but now I get out of my comfort zone on a daily basis which, ultimately, keeps me happier. Of course, this mentality is why I am still dealing with a stress fracture in my foot, but refuse to let it get me down.

Yes, I realize there is such thing as an unhealthy addiction to healthy things like exercise, and I can’t deny I’m on the borderline of this diagnosis. I’ve toned down what I do for exercise, though, and instead of high mileage running, I’ve found lifting to be better for me all around.

Over the course of my first week on the program, I PR’d on front squat at 210 lbs for one rep (1-RM). I felt good and could’ve gone for another 5 lbs at least, but figured I’d save it for the next week. My current back squat 1-RM is 280 lbs and I’m hoping to surpass that next week too. As a 160 lb 5’10 male, I’m happy with these numbers, but want more, and so far squatting every day seems like it might get me there.

Next weekend I will be going to the 20th Annual At-Home Dads Convention in Raleigh, NC and am getting pumped about meeting other dad of my kind and obtaining vast amounts of knowledge about being a father/husband from the more experienced dads/husbands out there. Not that I think I’m doing a bad job already. Right, Kelley and Avery? They seem happy enough….

Well, at least Going Mom does, Avery is too concerned about the outside all day every day (ha, like squatting!).

I’m excited about the trip for the convention, but can’t allow to put off my squatting every day, so hopefully the “free weights” our hotel has includes a squat rack. Otherwise, I’ll be on the lookout for a local gym. Anyone know of one? I will not miss a day!

More on the convention as it gets closer or just when I get back and have stories (all good of course) to tell. For now, we’re continuing our backyard landscaping project along with, you guessed it, squatting this weekend. Oh, and cue Beavis & Butthead singing Breaking the Law, because look what we’re doing…