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Happy weekend everyone! So first, I have recently made a couple of revisions to one of my favorite soups and wanted to share that with you. I now make it without celery (sometimes) since it makes it a little sweeter and more sweet potato like. I also add about 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Mmmm. It’s actually even creamier than before, and especially when I use the Vitamix. I love this soup!

If you would like to try it for yourself (warning, last plug coming), come see me this Wednesday in Brookhaven at ACHIM at 7:00  to learn more about nutrition, how you can feel your best, and enjoy sample a few healthy treats.  If you haven’t already reserved a spot don’t worry, just call 404-814-9808 early in the week or, you can even  just show up! I would love to see you! Did I mention if you bring a friend, you get in for free?!

Okay, no more plugs, I promise!!  I feel so cheesy doing that, but I kind of have to, right?

So now for the fun stuff.  This new treat was enjoyed by all. My husband literally was groaning as he was eating it. Don’t tell him I told you that though, seriously. And the kids were begging for it! Oh my goodness, they were  sooo good!!!

Here is what you need to make these amazing Paleo Reece’s Cups:

  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (WF’s 70% cacao)
  • 1 cup of Almond Butter (TJ’s creamy with sea salt)
  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/3 cup of dark raw honey
  • 1/2 tsp of celtic salt
  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla
  • silicone liners (thank you Alex!)

Start putting your cupcake liners in a cupcake pan. Next, melt the chocolate chips in pan on low with about 1 tbsp coconut oil. Then take a tbsp sized dollop of melted chocolate and put it in the bottom of the silicone liners. Use the spoon to coat the bottom and sides of the liners by spreading the chocolate around the cups. Be sure to go about halfway up the sides of the silicone liners. Then place the pan in the freezer to harden while you prepare your nut butter filling.

In a medium bowl, mix together the almond butter, honey, coconut oil, salt and vanilla and mix well.  Once the chocolate cups are hard, then add about 2 tsp of nut butter mixture in each cup. Then place back in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes or until frozen.

Then reheat your chocolate in the pan, if needed, and cover each cup evenly. Put back in the freezer for about 15 more minutes, if you can wait that long, and then enjoy! Store in the fridge or freezer the remaining cups…if there are any!

Is your mouth watering yet??Paleo Reece

I never said they weren’t messy…

I also made some without the chocolate on the bottom and they were just as good  and actually a little easier to eat. Those were my favorites. I’m warning you though, these things are crazy good!!

Enjoy your Sunday!

  • claire - Wow! i cannot wait to make these! thank you for a simple recipe! i have a muffin pan that is silicone, i’ll use that! My boys are going to love me!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - They will think you are a rockstar, Claire!! These things are amazing! Hope y’all love them as much as we did!ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer - The peanut butter cups are delicious! I have extras… I think they need to stay in the freezer? Thank you for sharing!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey! Glad y’all liked them!! Yes, store in the freezer. 🙂ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Yes, definitely keep them in the freezer, especially in the summer time! Glad y’all liked them!!ReplyCancel

  • Brittany - These look amazing!! Do you think using semi-sweet choc chips and regular honey would be ok? Im thinking of making these for a bake sale in a large quantity so I’d need to cut down the $ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Definitely! Good idea Brittany!ReplyCancel

  • Gen - These look delicious! How many do they make?ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Gen, thanks! I think they masked about a dozen.ReplyCancel

Sometimes I have people ask what we eat for meals. So, today for lunch Tate had last night’s leftovers which consisted of grass-fed ground beef, cumin, some celtic salt and a jar of salsa. I also used organic blue corn taco shells because blue corn is less likely to trigger allergies (with kids) than regular yellow corn and it’s organic, to ensure that it’s not GMO. Easy enough!

Oh my goodness that big open smile. Did I ever tell y’all the story of how my (at the time ) newly 4-year-old got (or forced) a “loose tooth”, just like his sister and cousin. Oh Tater…

For dinner tonight, we used our Costco organic chicken that I cut up, and added these flavors to it:

Here is the list of what you will need for your Lime Coconut Chicken:

  • 1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • zest of 1 lime
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp tamari gluten free soy sauce
  • 2 tsp celtic salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or honey)
  • 1 tsp curry powder (or 2 tsp, depending on preference)
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (I used the light)
  • pinch cayenne
  • coconut oil for cooking
  • fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Cut up your chicken, add everything listed above except for the cilantro, and let marinate in a zip lock bag for at least a few hours in the refrigerator.

I let mine sit all day but then came home in between kids sporting activities (so for 20 minutes) and quickly cooked this on my cast iron skillet with some coconut oil. I put about 1-2 tbsp of oil in the hot pan, then added the chicken. Once the chicken was well seared and mostly cooked, I then poured in the rest of the sauce to heat it up for a couple of minutes.

Everyone ate it and no one complained, which is always a win in my book…

Original recipe credit to Chaosinthekitchen.com.

Also, please don’t forget to sign up for next Wednesday’s May 8th Nutritional Event starting at 7:00pm at ACHIM! Click here for details or call 404-814-9808 to register.  If you register on or before Friday May 3rd, you can bring a friend for FREE!! Woo hoo!!

Hope to see you Wednesday!

  • Leslie - I am so bummed. I would love to come to visit you on Wednesday…however, I will be out of town;(
    I live right down the street from Dr. Taz’s office and I am very curious about her practice. I have 3 kids. One of which has been recently diagnosed with processing disorder, dyslexia and possible ADHD. I am seeking alternatives to his diet. My 3rd son is 1 and cries non-stop..I am starting to think something is up with him too.

    I am intuitively wondering about all of our diets. I don’t know where to begin…do we all get tested to see what food intolereances we might have? If so, what are they and where do we go?

    I have read about ALCAT and IgG and IgE…I am so confused!

    If you have any wisdom that would be helpful, please!!! I am really seeking right now.
    Love your blog..you have beautiful pictures and we eat a lot of your recipes. Thank you!
    Leslie AltermanReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Leslie! Thanks for your note! Your gut is totally right, trust that. You all can get tested or work on a elimination diet but would love to meet with you, hear more about any possible issues and can offer suggestions as to how and where to start. Also, the 2nd session, Wed May 15th I’m doing is actually about allergies so will go into depth on many of the allergies kids have, symptoms/issues that go with etc. so that could be helpful to you as well. And then for the month of June, we are doing sessions all about kids and one will include bringing in the kids to let them sample some good snacks. ALCAT can be good, but chances are good you guys need to work on minimizing or eliminating gluten, lowering sugar, and also looking at dairy. So the test may tell you what you already know, maybe? Thanks for reaching out Leslie! Let me know if you want to meet. I think I can help!ReplyCancel

  • Leslie - Thanks so much! I will follow up with you when I get back in town!
    LeslieReplyCancel

Or I guess at Starbucks they call it a Frappuccino.  Anyway, it’s been literally years since I’ve had any coffee, which is a pretty big deal for me considering I had coffee (and lots of it) every day of my life since I was 16 years old (gosh that sounds young) up until 3 years ago.  Anyway, it’s nice that I haven’t needed it, or really missed it, until today. My great friend Alex shared this frappachino recipe with me to make for my hubby. Of course I couldn’t resist something chocolately so I had to try it and well, now I’m typing faster than I’ve typed in years! Next, I want to work on my presentations, or should I ride my bike that is set up on my trainer (since it’s a rainy Sunday), or do I clean or finish cooking? Okay, now I remember why I loved coffee and why so many of you guys drink it! It’s good stuff!

The great thing about this drink is it has calcium, omega-3s, fiber, magnesium, and iron. Now that’s a power drink!

Here is what you need to make your paleo frappachino:

  • 3/4 cup coffee, cold
  • 1/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
  • 1 pitted date
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 6 coconut water ice cubes (or 2 muffin tin ice cubes, see below)

Blend well and enjoy!

I didn’t have an ice cube tray so I just put my coconut water in a muffin tin in the freezer and it worked really well. Just run a touch of hot water under the bottom when you’re ready to get your coconut ice cube out. I’m actually going to start doing that more often the coconut water so it will be ready for other smoothies. It’s also a good idea to always have ripe bananas in the freezer too, if you’re into making smoothies.

 

Problem is, it wasn’t really meant for me to drink, or my son. Maybe next time I’ll use decaf….

Like the boy needs more energy!

  • ashley andrews - Hey Landria! I love your blog and seeing pics of those beautiful kids. Mebane told me about it a couple of weeks ago on our girls trip to Asheville. I’m in the middle of working on my health habits as I’m learning about Ayurveda medicine in my yoga teacher training and I’m having a hard time quitting coffee. In fact, my coffee maker broke and now i’m finding myself driving every day to buy a coffee somewhere. How did you quit after all those years?!
    AshleyReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey there Ashley!! Thanks for your sweet note! Sounds like you are doing well!! I’m jealous you got to go to Asheville. I love that place! As for the coffee, I honestly didn’t have much of a choice. After a marathon, I got adrenal fatigue so even decaf would make my blood sugar drop. I guess it was a bit of a blessing in disguise because otherwise, I’m not sure I would have been ever been able to quit! 🙂ReplyCancel

I am so excited to be working with Dr. Taz, as I mentioned in my last post. So starting Wednesday May 8th,  (and the next 3 Wednesdays after that in May) I will be hosting seminars at the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine office in Brookhaven.

Come enjoy some yummy real food samples on the 8th at 7:00pm, while learning how to reduce inflammation, build a strong immune system, nourishing your brain and body, and develop good habits for now and for the rest of your life.

I will also offer some tips that can help you:

  • have more energy though out the day
  • keep your flares or autoimmune diseases under control
  • get sick less often
  • reduce your allergy symptoms
  • improve skin clarity
  • help reduce brain fog
  • minimize some of those aches/pains (it’s not just because you’re getting older!)
  • reduce cravings
  • help stabilize blood sugar levels

Or, just help you to feel well!

Click here for details or call 404-814-9808 to register before May 3rd. That’s a week from today so be sure to call soon!!!

So grab your friends, make it a night out, and let’s begin the road together so you can Eat Well. Be Well. And feel great!!!

I really didn’t know what other pictures to use for this post (and of course I had to use a picture!) so I grabbed the one we are using on the ACHIM site. Dorky, I know, I know!!

Oh and by the way, I would also love to hear about what other topics you might like to learn about in the future. I will be hosting weekly/monthly seminars on various issues.

Hope to see you next month!! Please feel free to email me with any questions landriav@gmail.com or post a comment.

  • Rebecca Owen - Hi landria, wish I was in Atlanta to hear your seminar! Will you be posting excerpts or information from your talks on your blog? Also, I’d be interested to know what supplements (if any) that you’re taking. Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey there Rebecca! Thanks for your note. I wish you could come too! 🙂 I haven’t thought about if I’ll post notes yet or not, depends if we end up doing this particular seminar multiple times. But as for supplements, as a basic overview, I do take a probiotic, selenium, Vitamin D, Magnesium, and think everyone can benefit from a fish oil, of course. Hope that helps some!ReplyCancel

This is Dr. Taz

Many of you have heard me talk about this amazing, smart, forward thinking woman. She is a MD that got frustrated with old school medical thinking which skews towards — “you’re sick, let’s prescribe something that will cover up your symptoms.” She wanted to dig deeper. She wanted to know WHY patients are having those symptoms and help solve that problem. She tests for things that many traditional doctors don’t look for like mineral deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, thyroid irregularities, adrenal issues, allergies and so much more.

I went to see her two years ago and left her office almost in tears (of joy). I knew something wasn’t right, but had multiple doctors tell me that I am just “a tired mom” and that I “needed more rest”. She was a Godsend.  Anyway, after regular appearances on Dr. Oz (here is a clip from her most recent episode), and others such as CNN & The Today Show, she has built quite a reputation for herself.  I am honored and excited to say that I have recently joined her team to help others get well through nutrition.

Starting in May (Thursdays at 7:00) I will be hosting weekly nutritional seminars at her office in Brookhaven. I’m really excited and think everyone could benefit from these sessions. Sick or well, we can always feel better! More details to come soon!

Seriously, how cute are they!?

Oh, and I do have a recipe that I made this weekend that I thought I would share. To be honest, the kids ate it, but didn’t love it. But Scott and I really liked!!  I’m excited to have a great lunch (or breakfast) ready for me for the week.

By the way, real men (or boys) do wear aprons…

Coconut Spiced Chicken Stew
 
Ingredients
  • 2 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
  • 2 12 oz. bags fresh butternut squash (from Trader Joe's) or sweet potatoes (2 medium sized ones chopped)
  • 1 onion, chopped (or TJ's pre-cut onion/garlic/shallot mixture)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (omit this if using the above TJ mixture)
  • 3-4 handfuls of chopped kale
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1-2 tsp curry
  • 2 tsp corriander
  • 1 tbsp celtic salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 can coconut milk (I used light)
  • 1-2 tsp chili powder
  • dash of pepper
Instructions
  1. Cut chicken into bite sized chunks.
  2. Heat pan on high, add coconut oil and cook for about 3-4 minutes until chicken is brown and put chicken in a bowl.
  3. In same pan, add more coconut oil and sautee onion and garlic (I used Trader Joe's pre-cut onion, garlic, shallot mixture).
  4. After it's lightly brown, add the spices, butternut squash (or sweet potatoes), broth and coconut milk.
  5. Let it come to a boil and then turn down to simmer, add kale, and let cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  6. Once the squash or potatoes are soft, your meal should be done! Enjoy!

  • Jenny - Can I ask what you went to her for and how was she able to help? How did you find her? I have felt disappointed with traditional medical options but also hard to find alternatives.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Jenny, I just sent you an email. I hope that helps!ReplyCancel

  • Pam Thelen - Hello! I am not sure what your name is but I found this link on fb. I am moving from Ohio to Woodstock, Georgia in October. I want to go to Dr. Taz when I get there. I guess I should schedule an apt. now so that I can go when I arrive. I am so excited about the nutrition classes. Wish I were there now so that I could attend. Thanks for posting this! PamReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey, thanks Pam!! Yes, I would go ahead and get on her calendar now as I think there is about a 3 month wait. Might as well, if they are booking that far out now. Good luck with the move! October is a great time to be in GA! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Katie Mauldin - Hey Landria, I’m a neighbor and I enjoy your website and wonderful photos!! I can’t wait to hear how the seminars go this month and I thought I’d just mention it would be cool if you could do something during the day in the fall. I would be there in a heart beat, but the evenings are tough with 3 busy boys and competing schedules! Best wishes, KatieReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Katie! Thanks so much for your comment. I know, I thought about the whole crazy swim team, baseball schedule the other day. I should have offered a class say 10am. Will definitely do that in the fall. Thanks again for telling me!! Oh, and for next month (in the summer) we will be doing one on kids, taste testing, snack ideas, allergies, ADHD, etc. What day/times do you think would be best? Would love to hear from you, as well as others before we start to plan. Thanks!ReplyCancel

  • Anne - Do you take the ridge-like things out of the kale before chopping? I know you do for swiss chard.ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Anne! I take out the big pieces/stems when I buy it precut but lately I’m buying it whole and yes, just chopping off the big stems. It’s honestly easier that way and the kale is better and thicker. Hope this helps some!ReplyCancel