Category Archives: Going Healthy

WIAW #11: No-Bake Mini NuttZo Pumpkin Cake

05/13/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Baking can be such a hassle. Especially when you have little ones running the kitchen. Crazy kids plus a hot stove/oven NEVER mix! So, feeling creative for Avery’s breakfast, I decided to make a delicious and healthy cake that I didn’t need to bake. Wham, and I just rhymed; score!

I grabbed one of my 24 cans of Organic Farmer’s Market Pumpkin (Thank you, Amazon!), some NuttZo Power Fuel, peanut flour, and unsweetened shredded coconut and got to work. It turned out to hardly be “work” since 5 minutes later, our NuttZo Coconut Pumpkin Pie was born.

Avery was tugging at my shorts and whining for the first bite, so after I took a few quick pics, I fed my ravenous daughter.

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I thought maybe, just maybe, there’d be a little leftover for me to savor, but that hope died fast. Unlike a typical pie, I found it easier to just roll into balls to feed her. At least that way I had messy fingers I got to lick!

If there was time, I’m sure chilling it would make for a cleaner finger food, but as Jack Bauer would say, “There’s no time!”. It does cut pretty good even at room temp though.

Wanna give it a go for yourself? Do it!

Mini No-Bake NuttZo Coconut Pie

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Keywords: raw appetizer breakfast dessert snack nuttzo

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Tbsp NuttZo (or other nut butter) at room temp
1/4 Cup Peanut flour (Can use coconut or almond flour or even protein powder instead)
2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1 packet stevia or 10 drops liquid stevia
Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Add all ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine.

Form into a small cake, roll into balls, or just leave as is to eat with a spoon.

Enjoy!!

On to the main part of the post now, my eats!

Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere! It was great then and continues to be an awesome linky now!

Breakfast – One of my many leftover cups of black coffee from Starbucks that I picked up on Mother’s Day.

Lunch – Steamed veggies with eggs and raw broccoli on top. Then some Greek yogurt with purple sweet potato, NuttZo, and homemade banana bread. While watching Avery not take her nap!

Dinner – Shredded chicken with black garlic and steamed broccoli and a little spicy kimchi mixed in as well.

And don’t tell Avery, but I made another batch of the no-bake NuttZo pie for myself to have as a nighttime treat.

Yeah, I’ll be making more of that for the both of us for sure! Have a great Hump Day!

Do you like no-bake recipes or prefer to always cook your meals/snacks?

Ever buy things you use a lot in bulk on Amazon or another site? It’s a must in our home!

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, WIAW

WIAW #10: What I Ate Before Fatherhood

05/06/2015 R.C. Liley 8 Comments

Not like the meals I had before fatherhood were gourmet dishes or anything, but I certainly didn’t have to practice the whole “don’t eat with your eyes” thing as much.

I’m not complaining, I love my meals of randomness all mixed together in a Tupperware dish, but it’s fun to look back at the meals I had in the past, where you could even make out what they were! I’ve mentioned before how I had a healthy foodie blog, Just Add Cayenne, as you will find with its own page above, and figured I’d pull an old WIAW post from the archives.

Sticking to a post around this time, I found one I published on April 24th, 2012, titled When Life Hands Me Wednesdays, I Make WIAW Post #9. It only seemed fitting since this is my 10th WIAW post on Going Dad, so it’s kinda like just picking up where I left off, just now I have a daughter and I’m a stay-at-home dad. A damn proud SAHD at that!

Before we travel back in time 3 years, I’ll quickly share what one of my day’s worth of eats looked like recently.

Morning – I cut a banana into slices and cover each one with NuttZo to feed the non-stop Avery as she does circles around the kitchen island.

I was expecting to have a few left over for me to finish, but….

….that was the last one. I did get to lick my fingers clean though! Luckily I had several cups of coffee to keep me “going”.

Then lunch was a combo of steamed veggies and a microwave salsa omelette.

Dinner was my usual mix of randomness with kimchi, homemade fermented cucumbers, eggs, tuna, and steamed brussels sprouts.

I know, hold the jealousy train, one at a time now!

Now, how about a little back to the future WIAW to see meals pre-dad? I’m bringing everything I shared from the old WIAW post to this one, even my commentary, just to give you a glimpse of life back then.

Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere! It was great then and continues to be an awesome linky now!

Breakfast – Cold quinoa and bean salad with steamed veggies, and a little salsa mixed in; baby carrots; overnight peanut butter oatmeal crisps; French Press coffee with nutmeg and vanilla extract

Snack – Handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and black chai tea

Lunch – Spicy Black Bean Cakes on a bed of arugula and roasted veggies; small cup of frozen strawberries and papaya; Ak-mak crackers; baby carrots; green tea with stevia

Snack – More green tea mixed with an herbal peppermint tea; great for after eating!

Dinner – Bring on my biggest meal; always ready to eat after a good strength/cardio workout! Mixed salad greens with lentil-veggie puree as a dressing and topped with Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and tomatoes; Pumpkin Protein Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich (I made the pancakes using my crepe recipe with less liquid); pumpkin and frozen fruit protein puree topped with oatmeal crisps; no-bake peanut butter cookies on the side; I also had a slice of low-fat peanut butter protein bread I made this weekend…..recipe to come.

After a wonderful day with Kelley on Saturday, I spent way too long in the kitchen on Sunday. Even after saying I’ll just make simple meals for the week, I went overboard. I promised next weekend I will actually make simple, steamed bean and veggie meals to get out of the kitchen quicker. I must stick to it!

Although, I keep seeing/thinking of awesome recipes that I want to try, so it’s hard not to try them out! Maybe just one fun recipe and be done with it….uh oh, this is how it starts! I want to start posting more of the various vegetable and fruit blends I make on a daily basis; anyone interested?

Q: Do you like going to the movies or staying at home?

A: I typically prefer to stay at home to watch something where my own food is readily available and there’s no noise from other people to bother you.

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo, Soft Star Shoes, WIAW

WIAW #9: Don’t Eat With Your Eyes!

04/29/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

You know the saying, “You eat with your eyes first”? I’m lucky my wife and daughter either don’t practice this quote, or simply don’t look at what I make sometimes because some things just look straight up gross.

See?

But it usually tastes great and is always healthy! I mean, I try to make some dishes look good for Going Mom. Like the presentation on this chicken tortilla soup looks delicious and she agreed it was.

Unfortunately, since most of my meals are one-pot collaborations of loads of veggies, some healthy fats, and protein, they usually don’t do much to please the eyes. Even when they are miniaturized for the little belly in the house.

Hey, it’s not easy cooking several meals for three every day. Then again, as a stay-at-home dad, I don’t need to complain, it should just be part of what I do. No fast food or going out to eat means more for me to make, but I’m happy with that since it means a healthier family. And most of the time my ugly meals still taste good. Love that slow-cooker!

So, as I share with you my day of eats, I only ask that you DO NOT eat with your eyes ~~first~~ at all! Please?

Now, how about a little WIAW action! Thanks as always to the wonderful Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for creating this fun link-up for foodies everywhere!

Breakfast – I followed my typical fasting protocol and just had some Homemade Cold Brew Coffee as I fed this smiling girl some microwave chocolate bread with NuttZo.

Lunch – Steamed beets, kale, carrots, and broccoli topped with eggs and nutritional yeast. Also had a couple of Beanitos chips for a tasty crunch.

Before Dinner – Green protein smoothie with whole apples, kale, carrots, and spirulina.

Dinner – Dad’s specialty, another crock-pot perfection! Wild antelope steaks (thanks to my brother, Uncle Preston) in a stew of organic mixed veggies, corn, and beans. See, not the best thing to look at, but trust me, it was a delight to eat!