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Paleo Italiano Chicken Burgers!

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Today’s lunch!

As I mentioned yesterday, I did quite a bit of prep-cooking for the week to help me get back on track. One of the meals I made ahead of time were these Paleo Italiano Chicken Burgers! Super simple and perfect for reheating during the week.

Super Simple Ingredients:

  • 1 lb organic ground chicken
  • 1/4 cup diced, sun dried tomatoes
  • 5 button mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped, fresh basil (dried basil works, as well, but the flavor isn’t as intense)
  • 1/3 cup of Daiya mozzarella cheese alternative
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1 raw egg
  • 2-4 tbsp tapioca flour

Easy-Peasy Prep:

  • Combine all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and kneed together. The egg and flour will help the chicken, which is always more moist than beef, stick together and form patties. I start with 2 tbsp of flour and increase, as necessary, if my patties aren’t holding together.
  • This makes four generous patties, which you can keep thick (juicier!) or flatten out for quick cooking.

My husband threw these on the grill (medium heat) for about five minutes each side. They came out PERFECT!

I’m having one of these patties (roughly 275 calories) along with leftover boiled Brussels Sprouts for lunch today at work!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

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TexMex Paleo Burger Recipe

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I’ve been awful with my diet recently, mainly because I haven’t been prepping and planning my meals the way I normally do. As a result, my weight has crept up a bit and I’ve decided to host an intervention for myself – I’m planning out recipes for the week.

Since I always have a craving for greasy Mexican food, I decided to create a simple recipe that includes all of the flavors I love but is quick to throw together and doesn’t require cooking effort beyond throwing it on the grill.

I introduce – the TexMex Paleo Burger!

They even look beautiful raw!

They even look beautiful raw!

Super Simple Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs extra lean ground beef. (Grass-fed, if you’re strict Paleo)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 4 tbsp chili powder (less if you don’t like it spicy)
  • 6 button mushrooms, chopped small
  • 4 tbsp dried onion flakes
  • 1 raw egg
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour (coconut flour works, as well, but you may need to add a tiny bit of water)
  • 1/3 cup of Daiya (non-dairy, non-soy) cheese alternative. I used sharp cheddar, but they have a Pepper Jack version that would be great, too!

Simple Preparation:

In a giant mixing bowl, start with your ground beef. In my case, I add all of the spices and mushrooms first, then hand mix by folding it together on itself a few times. Once that’s formed into a very thick mix, I add the cheese, raw egg, and tapioca flour. This helps it all to stick together and form solid patties.

As you can see, I form very generous-sized patties – each is probably 7-8 ounces.

The BEST WAY to cook a burger is always going to be on the grill: about 5 minutes on each side with this thickness if you’re cooking it on a medium heat. If you must pan fry, keep the temperature low so that they cook all the way through.

Personally, I like making my burgers at least 4-6 hours before I plan to cook them, as I think the flavor intensifies as they sit in the fridge. Also, letting them chill in the fridge seems to help them hold when cooked. If they hit the grill at room temperature, they seem more likely to break apart.

The finished product!

The finished product!

I’ll be posting more recipes this week, as I’m spending my Sunday prepping for a week of healthy, clean, Paleo eating!

On that note, bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

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Hungry, Hungry Hippo!

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I am a junkie of the Huffington Post. I have a tendency to start my morning on a reading binge, going through about a dozen articles (via my cell phone) within the first thirty minutes of waking up. Half-asleep and attempting to brush my teeth, I scroll through the pages as quickly as my groggy eyes can read them.

While I’m often consuming articles on trending news or world wide events, most of my reading consists of the Healthy Living section: diets, workouts, and nutritional advice.

One article, specifically, caught my eye today:

9 Sneaky Reasons You’re Ravenously Hungry

Today’s article really struck home, as I struggle with the voracity of my appetite most days of the week.

Seriously, if I allowed myself, I could consume THOUSANDS of calories at every meal and still have room for more. Perhaps it’s the remnants of my bigger days, but I can put away food with the best of them.

My dream job... if calories didn't count.

My dream job… if calories didn’t count.

In reading these tips, I feel like I need to smack my forehead a few times. I know these rules, but I don’t adhere to them. I’m horrible about skipping breakfast (coffee counts, no?) and I’m horrible about mindless munching.

Take, for example, this morning:

Since it’s a Monday, I decided to start the day with a healthy breakfast – four turkey sausage patties.

220 calories, 26 grams of protein, and all natural ingredients. Good job, right?

Yeaaaaaah!

Then I got to work.

Four rice cakes (NOT PALEO!) topped with sunflower nut butter (yum!) and raw wildflower honey and I’ve consumed double the calories of my breakfast in just minutes. And it’s not even lunch time yet!

WHOOPS.

I guess I’m just a hungry, hungry hippo today.

I'm the pink one, of course.

I’m the pink one, of course.

Fortunately, it’s still early in the day, I have a healthy lunch packed, and I plan to hit the gym extra hard this evening – both to burn off stress and the excess calories. I’m glad I read this article this morning, as it brought me back to a point of awareness. Most of my dieting failures are the result of complacency – I stop paying attention. Being aware of what you point into your body is just as important as working out and far more important than the numbers on the scale.

So kudos to HuffPost for reminding me to be aware! I needed that today!

On that note, it’s time for this hungry, hungry hippo to get some work done. Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

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Halloween Success… sort of.

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For Halloween this year, I decided to go outside of my normal costume safety realm (aka, face paint) and indulge in a sexy costume for my friend’s annual shindig.

I bought my costume with fear and hesitation, unsure if I could really go through with wearing glorified lingerie and calling myself a superhero.

I compromised with myself by purchasing a skirt and knee-high socks, hoping that the more secondary skin I could cover, the less nervous I would be about a flash of midriff, a healthy serving of cleavage, and an uncomfortable display of thigh.

For anyone that struggles with yo-yo dieting, you know that “goal outfits” are both inspiration and a taunting reminder from the back of your closet.

In the weeks leading up to the party, I stared at the little red corset and wondered how I would close it around my ever-fluctuating waistline. That little ruffle skirt mocked me from the moth-ball ridden trenches, telling me it would flutter in all the wrong places.

Despite several weeks of candy-munching between salads, I managed to hold a steady 133 on party day and asked my husband to help me suit up and take my rightful place as Batman’s sidekick.

I’m glad I did.

Even if I wasn’t 100% happy with the tone of my arms, the softness of my tummy, or the jiggle of my upper thighs, I knew that years of work led up to me wearing that costume.

I felt good.

I felt confident.

I felt like a superhero (sidekick).

So, even if my body still isn’t exactly where I want it to be, I call that a success. I earned that cape, buddy.

Bon appetit, my friends, and keep working toward your goals!

– Tori

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Icing

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Last night, I decided to conduct an experiment in baking.

After a great workout at the gym, I was in the mood to indulge my pumpkin craving without blowing my diet. I started to look up Paleo recipes involving pumpkin and came across DOZENS that sounded amazing and easy to make.

The catch?

I didn’t have all of the ingredients.

Rather than trying to find a 24 hour Whole Foods (do those exist?) to stock up on Paleo staples, I decided to modify a recipe I found using what I had on hand. With this recipe as my inspiration, I came up with the following recipe:

Paleo Muffin Recipe

Ingredients –

  • 1 can (29 oz) pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 cup Truvia granules (technically, this isn’t Paleo, but I didn’t have any more raw honey in the house and wanted to shave off a few calories.)
  • 1/3 cup tapioca flour
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup So Delicious French Vanilla Creamer
  • 1/4 cup ground flax seed
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil
  • 4 tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp allspice
  • 2 tbsp baking powder

Cooking Instructions –

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • While the oven warms up, combine ALL ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I’m not good at the precision and artistry of baking, so I rarely “combine dry then wet ingredients” nor do I sift my flours. Somehow, it always comes out fine, even when I just mash it all together willy-nilly. Either I’ve just gotten lucky or all of those extra steps are a load of bullocky.
  • In a lined cupcake pan, spoon batter until each is about three-quarters full. I had enough batter to make exactly 24 cupcakes (regular size, not minis) without issue.
  • Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until desired doneness. I’m bad and prefer the center of my cupcakes a little gooey, so I pulled mine out at 22 minutes and they were perfect for my taste. If you like yours fully cooked, definitely err closer to 30 minutes.

After devouring a cupcake with my husband, we both agreed that they were delicious, but that they “tasted too healthy.” He was right – they were only about 80 calories each, which didn’t seem like much of a splurge.

Running on the adrenaline of one successful experiment, I decided to invent my own simple Paleo chocolate icing.

Paleo Chocolate Icing

Ingredients –

  • 6 tbsp Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
  • 2 tbsp So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Creamer
  • 1.5 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Cooking Instructions –

  • Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, then stir. Microwave another 10-15 seconds, then stir again. Microwave about 10 more seconds, then remove from the microwave and stir slowly until all chocolate chips have melted and the icing thickens.

This icing was DELICIOUS and so simple to make. I just threw it together and drizzled about 1 tbsp on each cupcake, adding just 25-30 calories each, and it added a richness that completely gave our sugar-cravings a one-two punch!

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. YUM!

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. YUM!

So, if you’re in a pinch and want to whip up a recipe that uses less hard-to-find Paleo ingredients, try out these cupcakes! Most avid primal dieters always have coconut milk and almond flour on hand, so as long as you’ve got those two, chances are you can whip together just about any baked treat you’re craving with a little experimentation!

Let me know if you try this recipe at home and how it comes out!

Bon appetit,

~ Tori

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Calf Machine: 400 pounds!

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OK, my shoes may look dorky as all get out, but these bulky little calves just did the MAXIMUM on the calf press EIGHT times!

Yes, you read that correctly: I just did eight calf raises of 400 pounds!

When I finished, utterly pooped, I got a high-five from a trainer that had been watching from across the gym.

Strength > skinny.

Hell yeah!

~ Tori

Halloween: Joy and Challenge

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Like many of you, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s equally a child’s holiday as it is an adult’s, with only a small age range that chooses not to participate. I remember at 13 saying I was “too old to dress up.”

Man, was I missing out on a lot of fun.

I’d like to go back and slap 13-year-old-self in the face! You get to eat copious amounts of candy without judgement, attend parties, and dress up like anything you want! Come on, young-Tori, don’t be an idiot.

I’m pretty sure the costume stores have double the adult options as they do kiddie choices, and they’re not all “sexy cops” and “sexy nurses,” either. This year, since I’m attending multiple parties, I stocked up on props (fake blood, fake battle wounds, etc) and splurged on a secret costume that I’m going to unveil at a party next weekend.

Last night, I attended an OUTBREAK Survivor Party, so the majority of our costumes were zombie themed. I had fun with the makeup and shirt-decoration last night:

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So, what’s the downside to all of this partying and costume menagerie?

THE FOOD.

At the beginning of last week, I had gotten down to my all-time low of 130.6. I’ve never seen the scale dip that close to the blessed 120s and I was ecstatic.  As usual, I took a picture because I could hardly believe it:

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As you can imagine, though, I’m no where near that number today.

After almost two weeks of snacking on candy at work and then attending a few parties consisting of fried foods, chips, and lots of frothy beverages, my weight this morning is back up to 134.

SIGH.

It’s just a never-ending cycle. With holidays always a part of life – and the desire to splurge when around friends – it makes it really hard to come to an equilibrium with my body. I’m regimented for weeks, then destroy my efforts in a few days of all-out eating.  I’m not going to cut my friends out of my life. I’m not going to convert to Jehovah’s Witness to avoid the celebration of holidays. So what’s a yo-yo to do?

Well, I can tell you what this yo-yo is going to do today:

  • Have a cup of coffee to shake off the remaining effects of yesterday’s party.
  • Search for my make-up remover, as the good ol’ soap and water used on my face doesn’t seem to have gotten off all of the blood. I look rabid at the moment.
  • Hit the gym.
  • Eat as healthy as I can while recognizing that it’s the month of candy and I’m not going to escape it.
  • Enjoy a beautiful Florida day.

Halloween is both my joy and my challenge and I’ve decided I’m just going to roll with it today and not let a slight increase on the scale bring me down.

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

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Busy Weekend: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer & The Neon Run!

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Whew!

It’s Sunday night and I’m just catching my breath from a fun (and fitness) filled weekend!

On Saturday morning, I had the opportunity to attend the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Downtown Orlando! A member of my staff at work is currently battling Double-Negative Metastic Breast Cancer, a very rare and aggressive form of the cancer, and so we organized a team to walk in her honor. It was a beautiful event, with nearly 15 direct colleagues in attendance and over 30 volunteers from our student body helping to keep the event running smoothly.

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Full Sail University, my alma mater, sponsored a tent at the event! They let us crash and stay cool in their shade before and after the race.

There were so many incredible sponsors at the event and more adorable pink accessories than I could wrap my little head around.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

 

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The beautiful Marilyn Usher (left), the strong, FABULOUS woman our team walked in support of at the event!

 

With a crowd of over 50,000 attendees, it was a very crowded race, yet a few of my friends and I decided to break from the pack and attempt to run the full 5k. Other than a few traffic jams that forced us to slow our gait, we managed to run pretty much the entire 5k!

 

We were a bit sweaty, but quite happy to make it to the finish line!

We were a bit sweaty, but quite happy to make it to the finish line!

 

If that wasn’t enough, my husband and I decided to hit the gym that afternoon and I tore up the elliptical trainer, mainly in an effort to loosen up my tight muscles. We had done an intense leg workout two days prior and I was still so sore, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the day.

But wait! I’m not done!

Yes, despite the run in the morning and the mid-day workout, I wasn’t ready to call it a day and take a nap just yet.

That evening, I participated in The Neon Run, a glow-in-the-dark 5k hosted at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. I won’t go into too many details about the organization of the event (they ran out of glow sticks, for Pete’s sake!), but I can say that I loved running at night and to the hypnotic beat of EDM!

Before the race. I've got my highlighter yellow shirt and glasses on and I'm READY to party!

Before the race. I’ve got my highlighter yellow shirt and glasses on and I’m READY to party!

I will admit that running in the DARK on a grass track is a bit of a challenge, as you can’t really see holes until you step in one, which made for a very paranoid run. Every 1/4 mile or so, we entered a “glow tent,” which basically consisted of us being DOUSED in glow-in-the-dark paint (hopefully nontoxic) and then running through a makeshift tent filled with strobing black lights.

Look at me! I'm phosphorescent!

Look at me! I’m phosphorescent!

All in all, it was a very athletic day and I feel good knowing that I didn’t fall into my normal weekend trap of eating badly, drinking heavily (calories, not binge-drinking), and vegetating in front of the TV.

And, even more exciting, several of my friends that attended the morning event now want to attend future races and charity events with me! Since we’re finally in “running season” in the south, there’s a new 5k, 10k, or half-marathon practically every weekend! So this could turn out to be the fittest autumn I’ve ever had!

On that note, it’s time to get some grub in my belly! After Saturday, I definitely think I earned it. Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

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Graduation Day: The Dream Dress!

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Graduation Day: The Dream Dress!

As promised to those who have followed the blog for several weeks, here is the photo of me in my size four graduation dress.

I worked hard to get into this sucker.

  • Hitting the gym 5-6 days per week,
  • Sticking to my Paleo diet, and
  • Not letting my stress trigger a binge as it so frequently can when it compounds.

When I started the program (my second Bachelors degree) in March 2011, I was a wearing a size ten.

In many ways, I am a completely transformed person as a result of my college experience. An instructor in my junior year encouraged me to start this blog and create my documentary (in which I  admitted to my bulimia) and that transparency with the world has helped me to gain better control of my eating disorder. Knowing that all of you, now thousands of readers, are sharing in my world and are aware of my struggles, I’ve found a greater strength inside me that helps me generate will power when I need it the most.

I am wiser, I am more passionate and creative, and I am physically half the woman I used to be.

I’ll take it.

Bon appetit, my friends!

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Humbled

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In the last 48 hours, I shared my story with Huffington Post and Daily Mail.

I shared the ups and downs of my weight loss, the on-going journey I’ve been on, and how it has emotionally impacted my life for nearly thirty years.

Then, this morning, I went to a theme park with friends, oblivious for what was to come.

I had no idea how many people would be impacted by reading my story. I kept feeling my phone buzzing in my pocket and finally, around 12pm, I decided to check it.

Thirty new people had liked my Facebook fan page.

Over 800 people per hour were visiting my blog.

And people were sending me personal messages and comments, telling me how my story touched them and how they could empathize with my struggle.

I had no idea so many people shared the same pain. The same joy. The same fight with numbers on a scale.

To my new friends, to my old friends – thank you for your support. I want you to know that you are BEAUTIFUL, inside and out, for showing compassion, kindness, and love to someone you do not know. I am humbled by the messages I’ve received and the personal notes that have been left on the comments section of several of my posts.

You – yes, YOU – are proof that society will one day supersede the superficial tendencies it has adopted and that intelligence, altruism, and acceptance will prevail. Until then, we’ll just have to learn to love ourselves, to nourish and take care of our bodies, and to surround ourselves with genuine people. I’m blessed that I’m on the path to all three.

On that note, bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori