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So I made this fantastic pizza with homemade crust for the family yesterday and the reviews were, well, less than stellar. I have to be honest, I was pretty bummed out because I tasted it and thought it was awesome. But, after talking to Scott about it, he made me realize, “It’s all about the marketing”. Ohhh. Makes sense. While I found this pizza really good, I was not comparing it to an Amy’s pizza, by far. I guess it has been quite some time since I’ve had the real thing, but still, it really was good!

So, he suggested I call it something different so expectations are set. We actually talked about this the first time I made the almond flour cookies and it was a good point, which we now call “mama cakes” by the way. So if needed, try to be creative with a new name and I think that can help. I will try it again though and bet the next time, they will like it. And, I’ll be sure not to do it three days after a birthday party with pizza!

There weren’t many olives left for the pizza. As you can see, we love olives and especially the Mt. Athenos from Whole Foods.

Here’s what you need for the Paleo pizza:

  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp oregano
What to do:
 
Set oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients together until it becomes very thick. The put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spoon out the dough onto the paper. With your hands, make the crust as round and then as thin as possible (even thinner than you think).  I put some olive oil on my hands so it wouldn’t stick quite as much. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.  Add your favorite toppings and cook for another 25 minutes and enjoy your…well, whatever you want to call it.
 

We used extra pizza sauce for dipping as the crust does tend to soak it up.

C’mon! What’s not to love!?

By the way, today I worked on organizing the whole “Recipe” section in the menu bar.  I hope it’s easier to find what you need. If you have any other ideas on how to simplify, or what would work best, please feel free to let me know. Thanks for reading, as always!

If you have read my blog, you’ve probably have heard me mention things about being alkaline versus acidic.  I think having a good diet and eating whole foods, is just as important as being alkaline and here’s why.

What does it mean to be acidic?

Having an acidic (or low oxygen) body encourages the breeding of fungus, mold, bacteria and viruses. Also, being acidic, your body is going to excrete out calcium and other minerals versus absorbing them. And even more important, according to the National Cancer Institute, as much as 80 percent of all cancers are due to identified factors, and thus are potentially preventable. It is estimated that only 5 to 10 percent of all cancer cases are inherited and as much as 35 to 50 percent are due to foods. Cancer thrives in an acidic environment, and can’t live in an alkaline environment.

In addition to causing some pretty serious issues, being acidic can also cause symptoms such as:

  • Low energy, chronic fatigue
  • Leg cramps and spasms
  • Gastritis, acid indigestion
  • Cravings and weight gain
  • Excess mucous production
  • Nasal congestion
  • Frequent colds, flus, and infections
  • Nervous, stressed, irritable, anxious, agitated
  • Weak nails, dry hair, dry skin
  • Formation of cysts, such as ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries, benign breast cysts (fibrocystic breasts)
  • Headaches
  • Joint pain or arthritis
  • Neuritis
  • Muscle pain
  • Hives
So, what makes us acidic?
You could probably guess it, but eating things like sugar, caffeine, processed foods, and grains produce acidity in our bodies. Vegetables (and fruits) are the most alkaline so be sure to balance some meat (some meats are acidic) with your veggies to be more alkaline.  It is recommended that our diet be 80% alkaline to 20% acid and at the very least 60/40. Here is a comprehensive list of alkaline/acidic foods.
How do we know if we are acidic?
I use test strips you can get from amazon. You can go to “My Favorite Things” in the menu bar to see which I use or recommend. They are very simple to do and when used like a pregnancy test, the results tend to be more accurate. That is what I do with the ones below and think they work fairly well, but the two I mentioned about got much better reviews.

What if I do that and I’m still acidic?

I eat really well, for the most part, but last year I was still constantly acidic and couldn’t figure it out why. I was so frustrated but turns out, things like autoimmune diseases, especially one of the gut, can affect your ph level.  So I began to research things that could help and this is what I learned. Baking soda (yes, just the same stuff that is in Alka Seltezer and Tums), apple cider vinegar all have 2 things in common. One, you can ingest them, and two, they are all super alkaline, so I came up with a special recipe. Now, this is definitely not one of my tastier things I make, but I use to drink this every morning and you know what, I finally became alkaline, within days!

Here’s what I would make:

Use 1/8 tsp (to start, work your way up to 1/4 slowly as this can cause upset stomach) baking soda, and mix with 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and stir. Then add about 2 cups of water, mix together and bottoms up!

Alright, these guys aren’t helping me on this at all.  It’s bad, but it’s not that bad. It was well worth it to me. Anyway, if this is too much for, you can also use baking soda and lemon juice. Even though the lemons (and limes) are acidic, our bodies digest them as an alkaline. So, you could even just do lemon or lime juice in your water. That’s easy enough, right?  Either way, talk about a power drink!

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  • Chris Colwell - this is great Landria. I love all the recipes, but the education is very important to me as well. Good stuff to know, and I do like lemon in hot water in the morning….it kind of gets you going in more ways than one!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - HA! Good to know. Thanks for Chris!!ReplyCancel

  • lanny - Tate’s expressions are priceless!ReplyCancel

  • Susan - Per your suggestion this am, I just measured my ph and I am 5.5! I’ve been having headaches, feeling exhausted and experiencing allergy-like symptoms for two months now. I have some Braggs so it looks like I’ll add an apple cider vinegar cocktail to my vegetable menu.

    I had forgotten about my ph so thanks for the reminder.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - No way! 5.5??! Try to do it 2-3 times a day at first. And then try to just add in some lemon in your water. Easy to do and tastes good too! You’ll have to let me know if it helps! 🙂 See you Monday!ReplyCancel

 
So, on a cold day like today, I wanted to make something yummy and warm for the kids for this afternoon. But, I also wanted to figure out a treat that I could give them that was healthy enough to be a snack or breakfast, so came I up with these muffins. It could be that I’ve been doing the Whole 30 and things taste sweeter to me now, but I did try the muffins, and wow, they were really good. And, Tate gobbled them up!! What I love best about these is that they’re full of protein, fiber, omega-3s,  antioxidents, and, they’re low sugar. Between those nutrients, and the warmth of these muffins on this cold day, that’s a pretty good, feel good, food, wouldn’t you say?
 
Here’s what you need:

 

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp celtic sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce (1 small individual package)
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1/4 cup flax meal
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 blueberries (great with dark chocolate chips too, in place of blueberries)

Set oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients. Then add in the wet (except for blueberries) and stir until smooth. Now, mix in the blueberries. Next, put cupcake holders in cupcake pan. Cook for 25 or so minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in them and they come out clean. This makes 6 muffins so feel free to double the recipe next time if you love them. Enjoy!

 Look at those cold red hands. Winter is finally here!

  • Shannon - How long did you bake? Thank goodness for this site–I make everything and we love it!!!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Shannon, thanks for your note!! And sorry I left the cooking time out; good to know. So I baked them for about 20 minutes but just be sure to stick a butter knife in them to make sure they’re done. I hope you like them! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Michael - These look delicious and I am attempting to make them right now. First time baking anything of any sort, embarrassing 🙂

    What size measurement would you use to portion the 6 muffins?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Michael! Im not good with exact measurements but would guess about 1/2 cup per cup? I hope you like them! And not embarrassing, I totally took it as a compliment that I motivated you to cook!! 🙂 Good luck!ReplyCancel

  • De - Is that a 1/4 cup of flax meal, 1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/2 cup blueberries. ThanksReplyCancel

    • landriav - Yes, sorry about the lack of detail! Must have been in a hurry on this post. Hope you like the muffins!ReplyCancel

  • Jessica - What if I don’t have flax meal?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - You could use almond flour instead.ReplyCancel

I get so excited when I find something new I love and after eating this for lunch the past few days, I think I love it even more now. I hope you will too! Growing up going to Chinese food restaurants, I use to love stir fried rice (who didn’t?), so this was a real treat for me. My friend Jenn shared this recipe with me from Nomnompaleo.com which is a beautiful paleo blog. Anyway, I made a few adjustments, and it was a little work with a few more directions than normal, but not hard at all, and well worth it! It’s great as a meal, side or whatever. Next time I might try to add some chicken. Mix it up and use whatever your family enjoys!

Here’s what you need:

  • 1  head of cauliflower, separated in florets
  • 1 can water chestnuts, slivered (optional)
  • 3 slices of uncured bacon, cut into small dice (I used Trader Joe’s no nitrate)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 pack 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp kerrygold butter
  • 1-2 tablespoons of coconut aminos or Tamari gluten free soy (both at Whole foods)
  • 1 tsp celtic salt
  • dash of ground black pepper
  • Splash of coconut or rice wine vinegar (optional)

Here’s how I made it:

I cooked the bacon and then set it aside.  Then scramble 3 eggs, omlete style so it’s easy to cut, and set aside.

Now, cut up the carrots, small onion, scallions, and cilantro and set aside.

Next, cut the cauliflower into chunks and then blend in the food processor until it resembles rice.

Now that the eggs and bacon have cooled off, go back and cut them into small pieces and set aside again.

Last step in the prep is to grate the ginger. I keep mine in the freezer since it’s keeps so well and makes it easy to use. I’ll just use a knife and sort of shave the garlic until I have what I need. Fresh garlic add such an amazing flavor.

Now you’re ready to mix it all together…

Get a large pan and turn in on med high. Add some butter, mushrooms and let cook for 5 minutes. Then add in onions and carrots and let cook another 5 or until they start to get soft. Now add in all the rest of the ingredients except for the bacon and eggs. Let the cauliflower get soft but not too soft. Keep stirring it all together. Lastly, add in the cut up bacon and egg, and enjoy!

For garnish, you’re just going to have to trust me on this one but it made the dish, I promise! I had some homemade guacamole (avacado, cilantro, lime and salt) around and topped it with that. It was awesome!

Let me know what you think!

 

  • Jenn Godfrey - The avocado really does make it extra good! But why does yours look so much better than mine??!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - If it’s any consolation, I thought yours actually tasted better than mine. Maybe because I didn’t cook it??ReplyCancel

  • erin - my husband and i both enjoyed this…topped it with chicken and frozen stir fry veges!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Oh Erin, I need to try that next time, So glad y’all like it!!! Thanks for posting! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • tutti - i’m making this tonight and i’m adding some zucchini “noodles” to the mix. thanks!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Oh good idea! Let me know how it turns out! I’ve been craving it so need to make it again soon. I need to try it with the zucchini. Thanks for posting Tutti!! 🙂 Glad to “see you” here!ReplyCancel

  • Wilson - Yum! This was absolutely delicious. ( : I did most of the veggies in the cuisinart so the kids couldn’t really tell what they were eating. I will definitely make again. The guacamole & lime gives it just the right kick!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - That’s so great to hear Wilson!! I’m so happy y’all loved it. 🙂 It is good, isn’t it? I’ve been craving this and need to make it this week!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Oh I love hearing that Wilson!! What a great idea. Thanks for posting!!ReplyCancel

  • Hannah - We love this dish…ate it again tonight. It’s Olivia’s favorite.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Awesome Hannah!! Love that your daughter loves it too! I just made it again last week too. I am still loving it. Hope to see you at the pool tomorrow. 🙂ReplyCancel

  • michelle - it was delicious! i added a little yellow pepper when it was almost finished for a little extra color and crunch. thanks for posting!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Yum that sounds good Michelle!! So glad you liked it! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • karle - Wow this was amazing! I added zucchini and squash. SoOOoOOOOooo good! Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Awesome Karle!! So glad you liked it!!!ReplyCancel

  • amanda fraraccio - yum, yum, yum; fantastic and easy dish. where can I find rice wine vinegar?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Amanada! You can get it at Whole Foods. Publix may have some too.ReplyCancel

  • Michelle Schiess - I can’t tell you enough how much both my husband and 2 year old love this!! We add chicken it just the best flavors:) Thank you so much for all you do!!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - SO great to hear Michelle!!! Thank you so much for your notes of encouragement!ReplyCancel

  • Ania - Beautiful meal! Loved it!ReplyCancel

Sometimes there is just not enough time in the day. So last night, I quickly threw together these delicious wraps. This is what I used:

  • 1 lb grass fed beef
  • onion, garlic and ginger powder
  • cumin
  • paprika
  • celtic sea salt
  • avocado
  • scallions
  • tomato
  • iceberg lettuce

I just cooked up some ground beef and added onion, garlic and ginger powder, because it was all I had. I would use fresh if you can.  Then I added dash of cumin, paprika, Celtic sea salt and a splash of tamari gluten free soy sauce, and garnished it with fresh tomato, avocado, and scallions. That was it! It was so easy, fun for the kids to put theirs together, and everyone loved it!

  • Anita - I am going to try this! Minus the avocado, we don’t get along. Amy over at “The Funky Fork” linked me to your blog.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - I hope you like it Anita! Cant wait to check out both of your blogs. Thanks for your comment!!ReplyCancel