Weekends are always hard for me to stay on track and eat healthy. Its like this switch goes off inside of me and the Chocolate monster comes out… and when the chocolate monster is present, anything green and good for you should run for cover. So instead of running up to WalMart and plunging my face into a plate of Oreo’s and rinsing it down with milk… and more Oreo’s, (oh don’t play, I know you do it too and the whole package is gone in one sitting!!!) I decided to look into an alternative to a good, healthy but-feels-like-I-am-cheating kind of cookie. If you haven’t checked out my healthy breakfast cookies that were my husband and I’s bread and butter when we first went gluten free, check it our HERE. They are good, super versatile and delicious… Is just that I wanted something that tasted sinful and too good to be called grain free. Could there be such a thing!? Ok, back to chocolate. And the MONSTER. Yes, the chocolate monster and its decision to rule my life, stomach and well being. I went into the kitchen and jumped on Pinterest needing something that actually TASTED like a real cookie. Going gluten free has had its ups and down’s and anyone who is a baker knows that using almond meal and coconut flour can get a little tricky with texture and flavor I try to stay away from starchy “gluten free flours” because of the high sugar and how it affects my blood sugars. Real-Deal Chocolate Chip Cookiesfrom Danielle ofAgainst All Grain One of the reasons why I like this is because you can just make the dough and freeze it as a gift! You can bake some for your guests or wrap the dough as presents. ADORABLE!
For full recipe, details and substitutions, pop to Danielle’s website by CLICKING HERE!
In a food processor, cream the palm shortening, coconut sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla for about 15 seconds until smooth and fluffy.
Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and sea salt and mix again until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed in order to incorporate all of the flour. Pulse once or twice more.
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
Place golf-ball sized balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using another sheet of parchment on top of the dough, flatten them slightly with the palm or your hand or a spatula. *The cookies don’t spread much so create the size and thickness you want prior to baking them.
Bake for 9-12 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges.
Here’s how mine turned out, and let me tell you they were gone in a FLASH!!! I told you, it was the chocolate monster!! So so so delicious and so easy to make! My husband not only gave his approval, but said they tasted just as good, if not BETTERthan a store-bought batch! I was so blessed and grateful because these don’t elevate or affect my blood sugars the way a normal cookie traditionally would. Thank you Lord for grain free baking! Now on to trying a cake or a brownie or a doughnut… Well, maybe we will leave those tasks for another day!
Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of these amazing cookies! I had so much fun making them and an even better time devouring them 😉 Hope you enjoy!
Its normal. Right? EVERYONE’S GOT IT. Why make such a big deal Rach?? Stupid American Dream… There’s no such thing as debt freedom.
Well, we, with thousands of others, are making a stand in 2014 and saying NO MORE to living and being controlled by debt. Friday Night, January 10th, 2014 marks the start of a new adventure as we start Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (FPU)!
No more living above our means. No more wishy-washy budgeting. No more spending without planning. No more ignorant lack of accountability. No more secret spending. No more worry. No more emotional spending. NO MORE FEAR!
Its time to let God into the areas that I have hidden for so long. Time to be free from the constant nagging, worry, fear and panic that happens because of lack of planning. Its time to figure out who Justin and Rachael are as a family.
It is time to change our family tree!
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
THIS. IS. SO. HARD.
(Insert weeping tears here)
But so so SO worth it!
I want to be on the same page with my husband and to see our marriage thrive. Money doesn’t have to be the dividing factor, but can be the greatest area of transparency and intimacy if we let it! We are taking that first step to our very own debt freedom!
Will it be hard? YES.
Will we both want to kick and scream? YES.
Will we want to give up at times? YES.
Dave’s 7 Baby Steps to Financial Freedom
So here we go 🙂
I am nervous, excited and hopeful. If you haven’t read through any of Dave’s materials make sure to check out his website! They have FPU locations nationwide and classes are starting all month long. Take a good look at your family, your heart and at your wallet. You will be thankful in the long run.
Happy Monday Morning friends!
Today I wanted to share with you some great juicing superfoods that we integrate into our NutriBullet, helping our body’s feel great! When I started my journey to living a holistic, healthy lifestyle 10 years ago there was tons of information out there to sift through and I often became discouraged, quickly running back old habits. That’s why I want to help you navigate some of the terms and health buzz so that you can figure out what is best for YOUR body. My motto is: eat whole foods. Eat as organic as you can afford. Drink quality filtered water. Take your supplements. Get up and MOVE.
Don’t stress out if it’s not perfect! Seriously. Coming from a VERY black and white, perfectionist personality, I have had to learn this one the hard way. Do the best you can and remember that small changes over time change your lifestyle. Food is our friend, not our enemy. Try and focus on 1-2 things that you can change each month. Once you have that nailed down into a positive habit, add another change. When you fall off of the band wagon, make sure you don’t beat yourself up and put you in a “time out”. You are worth fighting for and you are ABLE to make changes that will better your health, your vitality and your life! You can do this, one step at a time!
Now onto a few of the superfoods that I have come to love!
For those of you who might be a little new to the term, let me help you out a bit. Oxford Dictionary defines is as:“a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” Sounds easy enough, right!?
When we use the phrase superfoods, we are talking about things like chia seeds, flax seeds, maca powder, cacao nibs and goji berries. There are a myriad of other foods that are considered super, but these are going to be our focus for the next few weeks!
I will break each one down in a detailed form but for right now lets look at the broad stroke of why these are so important to include into your daily routine!
1. Chia Seeds: Helps with boosting energy levels, aids in digestion, stabilizes blood sugars, great source of fiber, rich in Omega 3’s, plant-based protein & cardiovascular health!
2. Flax Seeds: great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, high levels of lignans (which have antioxidant qualities), contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, wonderful way to get vitamin B1 and are an excellent micro-nutrient.
3. Maca Powder: Excellent for chronic fatigue & hormone balance, full of vitamins and minerals including B, C & E, Zinc, calcium, great source of energy, helps aid in anxiety as well as balancing moods.
4. Cacao Nibs: *Important to differentiate between cocoa* Cacao nibs have “been roasted, separated from their husks, and broken into smaller pieces.” Healthier than dark chocolate! Full of antioxidants & is considered a raw food. Extremely versatile!
5. Goji Berries: Rich in antioxidants, excellent source of Vitamin A-helping both vision and boosting the immune system, helps aid in diabetes control and high blood pressure!
So there you have it friends! Try adding in one superfood to your diet this week! Your body will thank you for it. =]
Stay tuned for more healthy recipes, tips and encouragements in the month of January as we all take back our health TOGETHER! Make sure to write down your goals on a sheet of paper and comment below on the ONE you want to focus on THIS week!
I am with you and for you in this journey! Lets LIVE and LIVE to the fullest!
Can I just say that I am SO beyond excited that it is officially 2014!?
SERIOUSLY. FINALLY. THANK GOD.
2013 was possibly the most difficult year of my life, yet as I look back, quite honestly the most rewarding. Late January last year I got SO sick. Months passed and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Chronic fatigue symptoms, debilitating migraines, social anxiety, sleeplessness. I came down with a devastating virus in June, leaving me on bed rest for nearly 5 weeks. I had a scare with high liver enzymes and more blood work drawn in that period of time than my life combined. I say all that only to say it was one thing after the other, and I felt like I couldn’t catch up. I had just moved to Atlanta with my darling husband to be a part of Ihop Atlanta. I stepped onto staff full time and within weeks had to step down from most my commitments as I was so sick I couldn’t leave my bed or house most days. I was confused, frustrated and quickly realized my expectations were being shattered. I was barren, alone and completely dependent on the Lord and His leadership. I felt lost, hopeless and at times fought bouts of depression. But to be brutally honest, I was angry things weren’t going MY way…
10 months went by, and we finally hit some breakthrough physically. We eliminated gluten from my diet, stopped drinking soda and eating processed food, started juicing and included essential oils into the mix. For any of you that have been following my journey the past few months, you have been tracking with me and the great breakthrough I am walking through, but as most of you know the healing process takes time!
So as I look back at the last year, my heart has such deep gratitude at His perfect leadership. I am grateful that I have seen Jesus in a new light, and His tenderness towards those who suffer. I am grateful that even in the midst of my pain and accusation, He was and always will be GOOD. I am grateful that no matter what happens to my physical body, there will be a day where I stand before Him face to face, in perfect unity, where there will be no more pain, tears, heartache or death. I am grateful that He let me walk through the valley and shook me to my core, exposing areas of accusation I had towards Him. I am grateful that He is big enough to handle my emotions and gave me a husband who loved me, cared for me, protected me and honored me through it all.
So to break in the New Year, I want to look back at 2013 and recognize the GOOD that happened. I want to remember that through the heartache and pain, He was so kind to my heart. So here are my 13 highlights from 2013, and all in all, it was a blessed year 🙂
2013 HIGHLIGHTS!
1. On January 14th we moved into our first home together! We have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath renovated basement apartment that is the most wonderful blessing for us as newlyweds.
2. In February I was honored to preach my first message at both services at Ihop Atlanta. It was such a gift to my heart and a partial promised fulfilled by the Lord!
3. I was flown to Kansas City to speak to over 300 3rd and 4th year students about an opportunity to come and spend a semester at Ihop Atlanta!
4. In early February we adopted our sweet, spunky, precious little Lovie. She is a 6lb nothing of a Yorkie and my most loyal and faithful friend through this year of being sick!
5. We started Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover & got our Emergency fund built within a few months! It was one of the best feelings and was such a help through the year
6. In March I started my own business at rachaeldee.com and launched into a dream that has been tucked deep inside of my heart for years. I am eager to see what 2014 looks like!
7. Justin believed God for the impossible and took a leap of faith asking friends and family to help him get his dream baby grand piano! Its been such a gift to us!
8. We saved up money for MONTHS and celebrated our 1 year anniversary in Florida! We were so grateful for that gift and thanked God for an amazing 1st year of marriage!
9. I was able to drive up to Virginia to take care of my grandmother in the hospital. Such a sweet and wonderful time with my family 🙂
10. I spontaneously got to go to Disney World with my mama for the first time and we had a blast! Space Mountain anyone!? We went 4 times!!!
11. I was honored to host my in laws for the first time this Thanksgiving and cooked the entire meal with my husband! It was such a memory that I will always remember!
12. I got to see my nephew turn 1 and see my sister and family for Christmas. The beauty of seeing her growing into her identity and maturity as a new mom was staggering to me.
13. We were blessed to go get our first Christmas Tree together! What a joy it was to decorate it together and celebrate the beauty of Jesus this holiday season!
Take hold of 2014! Believe God for a breakthrough and believe that no matter how hard life gets, how the trials and blessings of life come, He is NEAR! Talk to Him today and let Him know that you need Him this year! Lets walk this journey together!
Don’t forget to comment below and let me know how I can be praying and agreeing with you this year! As always, pop over to www.facebook.com/youareallfair and join the conversation daily! You are NOT alone!
This is going to be a year of breakthrough for YOU!
I am SO excited about entering into 2014 and focusing on goal setting! As we are only 1 day away from entering into the New Year, I have been doing a little soul-searching.
I don’t want to skim through this upcoming year but BELIEVE that I can change for the better and live a thriving life! I don’t want to try and do this alone, but involve my friends and family along the journey. It’s statistically proven that when we are accountable to each other, there is a higher percentage to permanently stay on track to your goals. It’s so much easier and exciting to walk into freedom and breakthrough with FRIENDS!!
So what do you do!? It is So easy, super fun & here you have it!
My challenge for you in the month of January is to actually get your goals broken up into small, manageable pieces. On a piece of paper, white down 4 LIFE categories: Physical, financial, spiritual and personal. Take some time to think through each category and jot down areas that you want to focus on and grow in. After you have a good amount of thoughts and ideas written down, grab your planner, iPad, or desk calendar (whatever you will actually USE to stay organized) and take those goals one month at a time.
For example, my goals for January are as follows: Physical-continue juicing 2x a day & schedule morning workouts 5 days a week. Financial-Begin Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University” and start a cash system & zero budget. Spiritual– Read through the book of John & meditate on verses that stick out to me. Personal- Schedule 2 “hang out” times with friends.
It’s that easy! Yet it is so important to actually schedule it, write it down, & PLAN your life! Once you have those 4 aspects locked down, they you can try adding in more details. Start that by simply taking one week at a time, & start to plug-in those goals in ways that are DOABLE! Don’t reach for things that are too lofty or unobtainable, but reasonable and measurable goals. Start small and build!
Write them down! Track you progress and tell me some of the areas that you are going to focus on in the month of January! Pop on over to www.facebook.com/youareallfair and let me know if you have any questions 🙂 I know you can do this friends!
Weekends are always hard for me to stay on track and eat healthy. Its like this switch goes off inside of me and the Chocolate monster comes out… and when the chocolate monster is present, anything green and good for you should run for cover. So instead of running up to WalMart and plunging my face into a plate of Oreo’s and rinsing it down with milk… and more Oreo’s, (oh don’t play, I know you do it too and the whole package is gone in one sitting!!!) I decided to look into an alternative to a good, healthy but-feels-like-I-am-cheating kind of cookie. If you haven’t checked out my healthy breakfast cookies that were my husband and I’s bread and butter when we first went gluten free, check it our HERE. They are good, super versatile and delicious… Is just that I wanted something that tasted sinful and too good to be called grain free. Could there be such a thing!? Ok, back to chocolate. And the MONSTER. Yes, the chocolate monster and its decision to rule my life, stomach and well being. I went into the kitchen and jumped on Pinterest needing something that actually TASTED like a real cookie. Going gluten free has had its ups and down’s and anyone who is a baker knows that using almond meal and coconut flour can get a little tricky with texture and flavor I try to stay away from starchy “gluten free flours” because of the high sugar and how it affects my blood sugars. Real-Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Danielle of Against All Grain One of the reasons why I like this is because you can just make the dough and freeze it as a gift! You can bake some for your guests or wrap the dough as presents. ADORABLE!
Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of these amazing cookies! I had so much fun making them and an even better time devouring them 😉 Hope you enjoy!
Write them down! Track you progress and tell me some of the areas that you are going to focus on in the month of January! Pop on over to www.facebook.com/youareallfair and let me know if you have any questions 🙂 I know you can do this friends!