Paleo Nutella

Ingredients:

•        2 cups hazelnuts
•        2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
•        3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
•        1 tablespoon of xylitol (or your preferred natural sweetener)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place hazelnuts on a pizza pan (or a regular baking sheet).
3. Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool (on pizza pan) overnight.
5. De-shell the hazelnuts one at a time. Place shells on one mixing bowl and the de-shelled hazelnuts on another mixing bowl. You can dispose of the shells. This process takes about 15-20 minutes; make yourself comfy and watch a TV show (I watched desperate housewives on Netflix! Gosh, I love that show.)
6. Once hazelnuts have been de-shelled, place them in food processor and process for about 3 minutes, until you get a buttery consistency.
7. Add xylitol and cocoa powder to the buttery consistency and process ingredients until they are all well incorporated – about 2 minutes.
8. Once all ingredients have been incorporated, melt coconut oil and add one tablespoon at a time, processing each time your add a tablespoon.
9. Once you get a creamy butter consistency, stop processing, scoop out all the Nutella and place it in a mason jar. Refrigerate.

Paleo Orange or Cranberry Scones courtesy of Gather
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cup Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup Arrowroot Flour, Plus 2 Tbsp
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Baking Powder (Hain Brand)
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup, Grade B
• 1/4 cup Coconut Oil, Organic
• 1 Egg
• 1 Orange, Zest

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine almond flour, a quarter cup of arrowroot flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and one egg. Blend with a hand mixer until smooth.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry, and blend until all ingredients are evenly combined.
5. To make the orange scones, add the orange zest. To make the cranberry scones, add 1 cup of dried cranberries in place of the orange zest.
6. Add two tablespoons of arrowroot flour to the batter to thicken the dough.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form dough into a ball. Place the ball of dough on the parchment lined baking sheet and flatten slightly.
8. Carefully cut the dough into eight equal wedges, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Wow, it has been too long since I've posted on my blog, in fact, I completely forgot about it. It's good to be back and I can't believe how much has changed since my last post.  My focus sure has changed.  Will be getting my thoughts together and will be updating soon.

Raising Daughters

Mothers, do not merely educate your daughters in mere academics and worldly philosophies.
But raise them with wisdom, discernment and in love and service of the Lord.
Girls today are well-versed in rock lyrics, the latest fashions and self comfort.
But we need to raise daughters that have discernment and can raise up a faithful generation that will serve the Lord wholeheartedly and advance His kingdom here on earth.

Signs of Illness in Leopard Gecko

Health issues in Leopard Geckos.  Edema and ascites.  This is fluid in the legs and abdomen.  Looks like bloating and swollen limbs.  The fluid makes it hard to breathe.  Other signs are crawling low, change of color and lethargy.  The primary causes for this condition is either heart disease or low blood protein.  Low blood protein can be caused by intestinal parasites, liver or kidney disease, nutritional issues, or a malfunctioning gastrointestinal tract.  
There are deworming meds for parasites.  It is always best to take your gecko to the vet to test for parasites as they can do serious damage.
Always keep a bowl of calcium in the tank.

Rules for Cookie Exchange

1.  All cookies should be homemade and baked.

2.  Please bring 8 dozen total cookies.

3.  Set aside one dozen cookies for platter that is provided to share at party.

4.  Arrange 6 cookies per container for everyone to take home.  (This number is subject to change and will get exact number to you soon.)

5.  Be creative in how you package your cookies.  You may use such things as tins, cookie boxes, cookie bags, any homemade craft, etc.

6.  No plain chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, cookie mixes, no bakes, or meringues.

7.  The theme is “Christmas Cookies.”  Cookies may be from other origins.

8.  RSVP as soon as you can and let me know what type of cookies you are planning on baking so we won’t have duplicates and have an accurate number before it’s time to make cookies.

9.    You can make your cookies up to 3 days before the party.

10.  If you don’t have time to bake, or have burnt your cookies, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen yummy cookies.

Benefits of weight lifting

Bottom line...weight lifting for women is a must for overall great health! 


Muscles require less room than fat does, when women strength train, they tend to actually lose inches rather than gaining them. So not only are there a number of physical benefits such as an increase in the metabolism, a decrease in the risk of osteoporosis, an increase in strength and so on, weight lifting for women will actually help a woman to slim down as well.

Women are much more likely to actually tone up from the process of strength training than to bulk up. Research has shown for a long time now that women can add 30% lean muscle or more to their bodies and still end up looking much thinner, feeling much stronger and appearing much firmer than ever before.