Tag Archives: healthy food

Our ‘Going’ NuttZo Tasting Party!

04/27/2015 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

You taste a lot of deliciously healthy varieties of NuttZo, obviously! This weekend, the Going Family hosted a NuttZo tasting party for our neighborhood to delight the taste buds of both kids and adults.

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My party hosting skills could use some work, but I was pretty pleased with my layout. One lucky neighbor was going to be randomly drawn to win their own jar of the Smooth Original NuttZo and I was creative enough to use an empty NuttZo jar for the drawing. Going Mom made fun of me for putting a red bow on the prize jar, but I thought it was a nice touch. What do you think?

People starting showing up and although I was excited to share the edible happiness of NuttZo, I was still a little nervous. Big thanks to my wife for helping to keep the mood light.

For days, I was driving myself crazy trying to think of elaborate recipes to create for the party, but thankfully my wife kept me in check and told me to keep it simple. Duh. It is a tasting party for a product, not a cook-off, so simple it was! But that didn’t stop me from taking things seriously, just look at that intense face of concentration!

Each attendee received a colorful bowl in which I scooped several varieties of NuttZo one at time for them to try. I offered an organic honey almond granola for as a topping for that extra crunch.

There were three NuttZo flavors for tasting; the Smooth Original, Crunchy Power Fuel (my favorite), and Crunchy 70% Dark Chocolate. G-Ma was excited to try them all with Avery!

As if it was even a question, yes, there were seconds…..and thirds.

Avery, our little NuttZo pro, probably had the most out of everyone combined! She can’t say no to NuttZo!

As you can see, Going Mom enjoyed her samples too. Oh man, she’s “Going” to kill me when she sees I posted this pic!

Overall, I’d say NuttZo was well received by our neighbors. Although, one little girl, Zoey, seemed hesitant about the 7 organic nut and seed butter spread, but her dad said she’s not a big fan of peanut butter in general.

She’s a sweet girl, so I didn’t pressure her too much. Plus, I applaud her efforts at trying to hide her feelings with a cute smirk and referring to me as “Mr. R.C.”.

The brand new jars were all severely depleted, as they should be, after the tasting party neared an end.

We only had one thing left to do, pick a winner for the NuttZo jar giveaway! Drum rollllll….

Congrats to Jason, and his two little girls, Natalie (pictured) and Zoey! His wife, Jennifer, had to work, but I know the entire family is excited. I handed out coupons to everyone and Jason said he was excited to pick up another jar to have a work for a healthy snack.

Skip the chips and keep a jar of NuttZo and spoon around for a healthy snack. You can eat a whole bag of chips and still feel hungry, and it’s easy to add up to 500 calories of processed food fast! But NuttZo, full of healthy omega fatty acids, protein, and deliciousness, will keep you satisfied after just 2 spoonfuls. What more do you need?

I’d like to thank everyone who attended, my wife for helping out so much with hosting and cleaning around the house, and of course, the entire NuttZo team for providing the jars for tasting as well as the giveaway. I’m honored to be an ambassador for such a great company, and love that they are big supporters of Project Left Behind which helps small orphanages around the world.

On behalf of our Going Family (rocking our personal NuttZo shirts), we appreciate everyone for their support and for sharing the #NuttZoLove! Now go try some NuttZo and #LLYMI! That’s “Live Like You Mean It” in case you didn’t know. 😉

P.S.: If you’re questioning the higher price of NuttZo, here’s a good article that might help you feel better about skipping 2 trips to Starbucks and grab a jar of NuttZo instead.

Food, Going Healthy, NuttZo

Quick & Healthy NuttZo Banana Bread Recipe

03/10/2015 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Oh boy, do I have a treat for you! Peanut butter and banana sandwiches used to be my staple snack, but they can be a bit messy when out and about. Plus, I’m too good for regular ole peanut butter; we’re a NuttZo loving family now!

NuttZo makes excellent sandwiches on its own or with a banana, but I still wanted something that travels well so I could feed Avery and myself when away from home. Then the light shone down upon my jar of NuttZo and I suddenly had a brilliant healthy recipe idea; use my favorite ingredients to cook them right into a bread!

I quickly removed the jar from the light and the windowsill after my epiphany. Too risky!

We can’t get enough of NuttZo in our house lately. Avery, Kelley, and myself have been wreaking havoc on each delicious jar that comes our way. This recipe had to impress my lovely ladies or I risked breaking the “Happy wife, happy life” motto along with the lesser known, “Happy kid and you still live” motto. Scary, huh?

I used the microwave to make this bread, but have provided instructions if you want to bake it instead. Microwave cooking is my top choice, and while not gourmet, it still turns out tasty, healthy meals for any time of day.

Make this bread, then cover it with more NuttZo and have zero regrets as you enjoy every last bite.

Until you realize those bites were for your kid…..oops!!

Healthy NuttZo Banana Bread

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 10 min

Keywords: bake microwave bread breakfast dessert snack nuttzo

Ingredients (12 thick or 16 thin slices)

1 cup whole grain spelt, whole-wheat, or brown rice flour (I used whole grain spelt)
1 cup unflavored or vanilla protein powder (I used an organic plant protein powder, but other types should work fine); if not using protein powder, just add another cup of the flour you used above
1/4 cup peanut flour (or another nut flour of choice)
4 tbsp NuttZo (any flavor); warm in microwave to make sure it mixes easily
1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (applesauce or pumpkin puree would be good, but you’ll have to change the name)
1/4 tsp liquid stevia extract (or use 1/4 cup sugar/honey/agave if you don’t have or like stevia)
2 – 4 packets of stevia powder (I used Pyure Sweet Stevia)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 ½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk of choice (reduce by 1/4 cup if using honey or agave)
Optional: Add 2 egg whites for extra protein and to help bread rise. I did not do this and the bread turned out fine though.

Instructions

In the oven

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients to combine well, and then mix in the wet.

Pour into a lightly oiled or non-stick loaf pan (a muffin pan would be great too!) and bake 40-45 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes.

In the Microwave

Coat a microwave-safe bowl with cooking spray, coconut oil, or good quality butter. You will need to do this in two batches for this method.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients to combine well, and then mix in the wet.

Pour half of the batter into greased bowl and microwave on high for 7 minutes.

Let cool in bowl at least 5 minutes to allow bread to pull away from the sides, and flip over to allow it to fall out. You might need to give a little tug if it doesn’t fall right out.

What I love about this recipe is you can swap out the banana for applesauce or pumpkin puree for a totally different, yet equally delicious bread. Give it a try and let me know how you love it!

Now, excuse me as I make another batch to make Avery happy again. Remember that motto…..

Phew, crisis averted!

Going Healthy, Life

The Most Effective Pill for Fat Loss Is….

03/09/2015 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

….. a hard one to swallow. Figuratively, of course, because THERE IS NO PILL, just a healthier lifestyle! Sorry for being so rash, but the whole idea surrounding fat loss pills is ridiculous.

It makes me mad how businesses exploit the general population’s “need” to lose weight without working for it. Keeping active and eating a diet filled with fresh, whole foods will benefit you better than any pill ever will.

Fast food made up a huge part of my diet and exercise was never consistent all the way up to my first year in college. But then I learned what it meant to be healthy by *gasp* reading about healthy food and exercise and putting things to practice. As a result, I felt the positive changes both physically and mentally, and never want to go back to my old ways.

Gone are the days of eating something handed to me that I ordered through a speaker and even giving thought the laundry list of ingredients you’d never find in a typical kitchen to make the same food. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have something delicious and quick to make…..

No time for healthy is no excuse when you can make this protein cinnamon bread in the microwave!

There are many people not even trying or wanting to learn proper diet and exercise or keep consistent with anything. Nope, instead they come running with cash/credit in hand when a new pill or something else claiming itself as “easy” or “fast” comes along for fat loss/health.

Countless times I have tried to offer advice to those who say they want to change, and, countless times my advice has been waived off as meaningless. Or, they’ll say it’s just too hard because they could never give up “enter crappy food here” or consistently “enter form of exercise here.”

Now I just try to keep quite when these topics come up unless I am specifically asked for advice. Even then, it seems like if the advice is too hard or not what they want to hear, it gets ignored. Hence the popularity of fat loss pills (aka caffeine pills with added BS).

I understand people are busy, but the health of you and your family should not be taken lightly. Am I alone in this thought process? It’s easy to laugh things off as you hold your 5th donut in your hand and say “I shouldn’t eat this, but….” as you then proceed to eat it before going back to sit down for several hours.

This might seem like I’m a heartless guy, but I’m far from. I am truly passionate about having a higher quality of life from good food and exercise, and want to pass it on to all that I can. If not for adults, at least for all of the children growing up not knowing anything different.

Our kids, the tiny versions of us, depend on us to provide. Their growing bodies are taking whatever is put into their system and using it to build everything from the hair on their head to their entire organ system. Not to mention the all important immune system. The higher quality food the body receives, the better it can build itself. Think of the Three Little Pigs, do you want to have a body built of straw and always get knocked over (i.e. sick and weak), or would you rather be strong as a house built with bricks and resistant to many common ailments?

I’m no expert, but I feel I have experienced enough on my own journey to have something to offer. I’ll probably keep trying since it’s forever programmed in my head to care. Who knows, maybe I’ll help someone get and stay on track one day!

Actually, I’m helping two lovely ladies keep healthy and look great every day.

These two are the ones I care most about (okay, my mom/G-Ma too!!), and being able to make all of our meals gives me confidence we’re all a happy, healthy family with bodies built from brick! It’s never gourmet cooking, but it doesn’t lack flavor either.

Going Mom and I are happy we are starting Avery off knowing fresh, whole foods and cooking at home is the norm. So many families depend on take out or going to a restaurant for most of their meals, which typically means not having the best choices when it comes to wholesome food.

I get it’s hard to keep kids (especially picky eaters) happy and fed, but the drive-thru is never the answer; same goes for most quick pre-made food options out there. Please, if not for yourself, do it for the kids!

Skip the boxed crackers and make these goat cheese salsa crackers instead!

And of course these protein brownies are healthy in disguise. No box needed here!

Making snacks like the two above is not that hard, and they still taste great. Plus, it’s something you could make as a family and appreciate your creations more than if you just bought some packaged snack food with questionable ingredients.

I could go on and on, and I probably will again, but for now, I’m giving it a rest. If you think you could use a change from your current lifestyle, here’s “food” for thought, try getting in the kitchen and making more of your own meals. Better food and moving more each day are simple ways to get your fat loss (and long-term health and happiness) and save your money on those fancy caffeine pills. Plus, that’s what coffee is for!