Coconut Chocolate Almond Butter

Today I bring you a new installment of my recipe collection for Kelapo Coconut Oil. 

If you're in need of that little something sweet but don't want to have all the guilt, a spoonful of this Coconut Chocolate Almond Butter will do the trick. 

Nut butters are all the rage right now, and for a good reason! When made properly, these butters serve as a phenomenal sweet tooth satisfier which pack a powerful protein punch. You can spread them on an apple or toast for a quick breakfast or add a scoop to a smoothie for a little extra boost. Want to eat a spoonful on its own? Go for it! I don't judge! 

Now what if I told you that you can bump up that butter to another level simply by adding one ingredient.  Go on, guess what that ingredient is... you guessed it, Coconut Oil! As you may know, coconut oil is packed with healthy fats that actually help keep your tummy from rumbling along with a number of other health benefits... healthier hair, skin, and heart, just to name a few. 

Head on over to Kelapo's website for the full recipe! 

Caramelized Peach Salad Recipe

I recently recreated a dish from one of my favorite spots in Los Angeles. Call me hokey, but I LOVE Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills. Sure, their food isn't as stellar as it used to be which if you're a fan of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, you would know that there was a huge blow-out between Lisa Vanderpump, the restaurant's owner and their head chef. You can get filled in on that drama via Bravo.

Anyway, there used to be a salad on their menu that was out of this world. It had everything I loved, fruit, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and a dressing with some serious spice! It was the perfect combination of flavors. 

What To Wear in Disney!

If you follow along on social media, you may have seen that I’ll be heading back to Walt Disney World to attend this year’s Food Blog Forum conference. For those of you unfamiliar with this event, it is the coming together of some of the top Food Bloggers from around the country (Check out my recap from the last time I went, here) .
To give you an idea of the brevity this conference has, if you didn't log on to register at 10:59:58 (registration opened at 11:00am) you were out of luck. Yup, it sold out in 2 SECONDS FLAT!! Clearly the pixie dust was on my side because by some miracle, I made it in to the registration page and the rest is history.

Now, it’s no secret that I have a love affair with all things Disney. I mean I've worked for "The Mouse", had a Disney shrine in my basement as a child, and there’s even rumors that I may have been conceived in Disney World, so it’s only natural that I take advantage of every opportunity that involves The Happiest Place on Earth. That being said, this will be my 36^th trip to Walt Disney World… yeah I know. A little nuts. But, again, I worked for the company for 6 years! The rest… I got no excuse :-P

Anyway! After receiving the confirmation notice for Food Blog Forum (FBF) I instantly started planning my wardrobe.What.... that's not normal?

However, I felt that this time, things were a little different. Being an Annual Pass holder here in SoCal for Disneyland, I've become very aware of how important it is to remain cool and comfortable while gallivanting around the parks but God forbid you sacrifice the cuteness level of an outfit, right!? During my past few trips to the park I've paired some of my black workout pants with Disney-esque tops and have been comfy from the time I set foot in the park until the last firework goes off. You may not realize this but you can clock some pretty solid mileage during a typical Disney trip. My record so far is 18,000 steps in one day! Thank you, FitBit!

This got me thinking… what if I put together some super cute, yet comfy outfits that are inspired by my favorite Disney characters?? I've seen tons of people in the parks wearing their “cosplay” outfits and other Disney-inspired duds, so why not? I mean we've all see the adorable outfits put together on Pinterest!

photo courtesy of Pinterest

So when I think cute, comfortable, and resilient (I mean the parks are open for over 12 hours, people) I instantly thought of my favorite activewear brand, Lorna Jane! With over 100 new styles released every month, there was no shortage of options when it came to piecing together these outfits!

Here are a few of my favorite combos:

Inspired by Frozen

Shop This Look:

Destiny Zip Up

Michie Bra

Rebellion Tights

Excel Zip Up

Archer Tank

Core Stability Tights (Similar and On Sale!)

Continue reading more and enter to win a Lorna Jane tank!

Inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas

Shop The Look:

Destiny Zip Up (similar)

Tank

Tigress Tights

Inspired by Minnie Mouse

Shop This Look:

Mercury Jacket (Similar and On Sale!)

Kody Bra

Amy Tights (Similar)

Tieks

Inspired by Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

Shop This Look:

Feline Biker Jacket

Feline Tights (Similar)

Quilted Cheetah Top (Only Available in AUS)

Cheetah Tieks

Inspired by Sleeping Beauty

Shop This Look

Daria Hoodie (Similar)

Mika Bra

Skillful Tights

To see more Disney Inspired Looks I created along with my blogger bestie My Baking Heart, follow along on Pinterest here:

Follow Kasey's Kitchen's board Foodies Shedding Booties on Pinterest.

Score a Lorna Jane Inspiration Tank by entering the contest below! 

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The Launch Of Foodies Shedding Booties and Why It Took Forever to Post This!

As some of my readers may know, the end of 2014 was a bit of a roller-coaster for me. During a routine check-up, my doctor felt an abnormal lump in my throat that she wanted me to go get it checked out with an ultrasound. Being the procrastinator that I am, I put it off. It wasn't until I woke up with a really bad sore throat one day that I felt the lump myself and decided to go get it checked. It turns out that I had a very large nodule sitting on the right side of my thyroid. Now, apparently thyroid nodules are insanely common, something like 1 in 6 people have them. They usually are super tiny and mean nothing, however, mine was about two inches long… TWO INCHES!? How did I not feel this thing for so long? As you can imagine, the next few weeks comprised of a series of test, lots of poking and prodding, and stupid needles. All the tests came back “indeterminate” (oh great.), so the team of doctors I was working with strongly urged me to get surgery to remove the right side of my thyroid. Of course there was the question of the C-word which was wildly unsettling and apparently if I left it there it could ruin my vocal chords and I could lose my voice. I always wanted to be a Disney Princess, but on-land Ariel would not be my first choice.

On November 18^th, I went in for my surgery. First time under the knife… pretty terrifying. After two and a half hours in the operating room, they successfully removed the nodule and sent it off to be tested. Again, I have never had any sort of surgery before so in my overly ambitious head, I figured I would be back to my old self in 4-5 days tops. Nope, I was wrong. This surgery threw me for a loop and a half. I was insanely tired, sore as hell, and could barely talk. It. Was. Torture! With the holidays right around the corner, I definitely pushed myself more than I should have which I was told held up my recovery a little bit. Now that all the holiday madness has subsided and I am FINALLY feeling like my old self, I am ready to kick things back into gear and move forward with all the fun that I had cookin’ up in Kasey’s Kitchen! Oh and after 5 weeks of testing by 6 different teams of doctors around the country, they determined the nodule was benign! (Phewf!)

Now you see, the week before I had my surgery I was in Las Vegas for the Food. Fight. Write Conference where I held the launch of my Foodies Shedding Booties movement. If you were following along on Instagram, you probably saw lots of posts from the event. It was truly a blast. 20 of my fellow Food Bloggers joined me and Las Vegas Yoga Instructor Jodi Tallo for an early morning yoga session. 

Jodi created a fantastic flow for everyone who ranged from beginner to daily yogis. After the session, the bloggers were treated to snacks provided by Pure Organics, Navitas Naturals, StonefireFlatbread, Philosophie, Little Miracles and Essentia Water. A super special treat included a pop-up shop from my friends at Lorna Jane Activewear!

A special thanks to the girls at Lorna Jane for sharing some awesome active styles with my guests!

As I explained at this event, Foodies Shedding Booties is meant to be a movement and a mantra. It’s not about losing weight, although I can’t promise that won’t be a welcomed side effect, it’s about shedding insecurities and adding in a responsibility to your health. It’s like eating your cake and working it off too!

It is my plan to take these events around Los Angeles, and hopefully at some point the country! Attendees will enjoy a fun workout, meet new friends and foodies, oh and of course, score some killer swag! Who wouldn't be down for that?!

Filling all the awesome swag bags for the guests at the first FSB event in Las Vegas!

To stay up to date with all the Foodies Shedding Booties events, recipes, and giveaways to come, please sign up for our mailing list. We won’t load your inbox with emails, I swear!

Click here to sign up!

Sip On This! A Collection of Liquid Nutrition

Check out Liquid Nutrition!
by Kasey's Kitchen at Foodie.com

We are well on our way into 2015 and if you're like me, those resolutions have already started to dwindle down to a "good effort". Sometimes making those drastic promises to yourself can get really overwhelming and you just end up throwing in the towel...and not the gym towel.

I think that something I've learned over the years of making these "resolutions" is that it needs to be about baby steps and small lifestyle changes in order to get yourself on a routine. One thing that will help kickstart this lifestyle change would be incorporating nutrition packed smoothies and juices into your diet. With the recipes in the collection below that I've created with Foodie.com there's no shortage of good-for-you gulps! You get an insane amount of antioxidants, vitamins, and all that other good stuff on top of a super tasty snack! How can you go wrong? Who wants to join me in trying some of these in 2015 and sip our way to a healthier year!



*Disclosure - This post was created in partnership with Foodie.com and Mode Media. I was compensated for my time and content. All opinions are my own. 

No-Bake Pumpkin Protein Bites

All the flavors of Fall packed into one protein-filled bite! 

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)

1 cup almond meal/flour

1 scoop protein powder

1 cup almond butter

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp pumpkin spice seasoning

1/2 cup cranberries (dried or fresh, chopped)

1 tbsp flax seed

Pumpkin Protein Smoothie Recipe

Move over "PSL", this Pumpkin Protein Smoothie has all the flavors of Fall minus the guilt!

Ingredients
1 cup of pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
1 1/2 cup of almond milk
1 scoop of protein powder
2 cups of ice
2 tsp stevia, or to taste
2 tbsp
1 tsp pumpkin spice seasonings

Preparation
Layer all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Top with a garnish of candied pecans for a little somethin' extra!

Meet Me At Lorna Jane!

I am thrilled to be hosting a cooking demo this weekend at Lorna Jane! Come join me at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles for healthy treats, giveaways, and more!
All the info is below, just click on the photo to RSVP! :-)

Announcement: Foodies Shedding Booties Is Hitting Vegas, Baby!

I am so thrilled to announce that I will be hosting my first "Foodies Shedding Booties" session at the upcoming Food. Fight. Write. Conference next month in Las Vegas! 

Have you registered for the hottest conference of the year? If not: Click Here. 

This early morning session is guaranteed to energize, motivate, and satiate!

We'll be kicking things off with an introduction of the “Foodies Shedding Booties” movement, leading into a revitalizing workout led by Jodi Tallo of Pilates+Yoga in Las Vegas. 

After the workout, guests will be treated to an array of new fitness items and healthy treats from my friends at Lorna Jane, Stonefire, Pure Bar, Navitas Naturals and more! 

If you're already attending this awesome conference (seriously, the sessions and sponsors involved are some of the best I've ever seen!) then join the Foodies Shedding Booties session by clicking here. 

Want in on the action?? I'm giving away a FREE ticket to the conference too!! Just enter below for your chance to join is at The Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas November 12-16th! 

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Halloween Graveyard Dip Recipe

It's almost that time of year when we don those costumes and binge of bite sized candy...because eating 12 individually wrapped Twix bars cannot be THAT bad... they're small!

Well, how about I give you a new recipe to add to your Haunting Hostess repertoire! Sure, we all love a bubbly, cheesy cauldron of Spinach and Artichoke dip but I want to share a healthy twist on this party table staple!

I teamed up with Stonefire to create this delicious "good-for-you" dip that pairs perfectly with their brand new Naan Crisps! Scroll down for the recipe!

Get Ready! Active Nation Day is Sunday!

As you might know by now, I have quite the love affair with the Lorna Jane brand. There is something about the vibrant colors, inspiring slogans, oh and stellar quality, that made me fall for their fitness gear! Lucky for me, this brand-crush has developed into a great relationship with Lorna Jane and I am thrilled that I've been invited to participate in this year's Active Nation Day! Check out the details below and join me on Sunday in Santa Monica for the fun!

Oh! Scroll down to see an awesome "Workout Wednesday" routine from LA's Hottest Trainer (and a role model of mine) Christine Bullock!

Quickie Recipe: Simple Caramelized Peaches

The other night I was suffering from a killer sweet tooth but didn't want to totally ruin the hour of yoga I had done earlier that day. (#thestruggle) I remembered that I had a gorgeous white peach from the farmers market in my fridge that was about to go bad. I got a little creative and whipped up this insanely easy and addictive dessert... here's what you do:

Ingredients

1 large peach

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

dash of cinnamon

1 tbsp agave

vanilla frozen yogurt (or go for broke with ice cream)

Preparation

Cut peach into thin sections. 

Heat coconut oil in saute pan on med/low heat. Add peaches and begin to simmer. Add in brown sugar, cinnamon, and agave. Cook until peaches are tender. 

Serve in a shallow bowl with a dollop of vanilla yogurt! 

Protein Packed Peanut Butter Banana Bowl

Last week I had a chance to check out The Harvest Bar in Sherman Oaks. This Superfood Cafe, tucked into a small shopping complex along Ventura is turning out some of the freshest and healthiest concoctions in the city! From Acai to Quinoa Bowls, this beach-side community trend has finally made it's way inland, and it is delicious! 

I had the opportunity to try the Sweet Greens Smoothie packed with kale, spinach, banana, spirulina, dates (omitted in mine so my throat didn't close up), chia seeds, acai, and apple juice. This was definitely the way to ease into the greens!

Instagram @kaseys_kitchen

The Insanely Good For You Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of chatting with Pure Organic creator Veronica Bosgraaf. She spoke about how she started the brand after her young daughter decided to become a vegetarian. Being a Midwest gal, Bosgraaf scrambled with the idea but wanted to support her daughter in this endeavor. She explained the struggle of finding delicious snacks that would help supplement the protein that her child needed. 

After a pop-quiz on ancient grains, Veronica whipped up an amazing smoothie packed with the benefits from grains such as hemp, flax, and cocoa.... yup, chocolate! Here's what you need to make this smoothie for yourself.

Ingredients

2 cup unsweetened almond milk, cold

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp hemp hearts

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp ground flax seed

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Blend until smooth and serve.

Want to win an assortment of Pure Bar products? Just enter below!
(Winner will receive 2 boxes of assorted Pure Bars and Pure Sandwiches)

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Foodies Shedding Booties: Secrets, Sport Bras and Smoothies

If you've been following along on Instagram you know that I've become obsessed with my FitBit which has kicked things back into gear in regards to my workout routine. I'd be lying to you if I said that this was all easy and that it was pure self-discipline and motivation that I can attribute this all to... nope, it all still sucks, but I've just found some cool tricks along the way!

1. Pay attention to what you eat and why you're eating it. This is an obvious one and you've heard it time and time again. Now I say "Pay attention" rather than "Watch what you eat" because I've noticed that if I make a conscious decision to eat something a little outside the healthy spectrum, I'm not going to beat myself up over it, however I am going to make sure I hit my step goal or take an extra class at the gym that week. I've also noticed that I now have an internal dialogue with myself that goes a little something like this;

Kasey's Stomach: I really want bag of chips right now. 
Kasey's Head: Are you sure you want chips? Or could you be satisfied with an apple?
Kasey's Stomach: Bitch, I want me some BACKYARD BARBECUE KETTLE COOKED CHIPS! 
Kasey's Head: Girl, shut yo' face. Eat the damn apple. You'll thank me the next time you squeeze that ass into them jeans!

Ironically enough... my stomach must be feeling the defeat because it's been shrinking and my cravings have certainly been curbed! And yes, my Stomach has the personality of a Maury Povich guest.
Want to cure the chocolate cravings with a snack that's packed with protein? Get the recipe for this Chocolate Banana Smoothie here!

2. Partake in a little healthy competition. The beauty of this FitBit thing is that I can link up with friends and see their steps. Click here to link up with me if you'd like! My co-worker and I will constantly pass each other in step-count and encourage each other to take breaks to get out and get moving. Need a little more motivation? Link up with that Mean Girl from high school and be sure to kick her butt! I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Start Your Morning Right: Chocolate Banana Smoothie

I recently read an article about the benefits of starting your morning with a protein-packed breakfast. It's crazy how one little change in your diet can effect your day! 

Here are just a few of the benefits:

Alertness
A morning meal high in protein raises your brain's tyrosine levels. This helps your brain produce neurotransmitters called norepinephrine and dopamine, which give you energy and make you feel awake and alert.

Satisfaction
Just because Mick Jager couldn't get it doesn't mean you can't! Having a breakfast rich in protein can help you stay fuller for longer compared to having a lower-protein breakfast.

Fresh Greek Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

Over the past few years, Greek food has wiggled it's way up my list of favorites. It's nestled itself somewhere above Chinese but below Italian. There's something about that warm fluffy pita, meat that may...or may not be lamb scraped off of a rotating skewer, and that cool creamy sauce that makes it all complete, tzatziki (tat-ziki)... at least I think that's how you say it. It's all Greek to me!

Healthy Tips for You and Your SweetHEART

Whether you’re one of those people who goes all ga-ga for Valentine’s Day or you’re the type that thinks it’s nothing but commercialism at it’s best, there’s something that makes us think about our sweetheart a little more this time of year! Sure you can try and find the biggest box of chocolates or fill an entire room with flowers, but here are a few ideas what will benefit you far beyond February!

Restaurant Recipe: Panera's Apple Kale Smoothie!

    

A big thanks to my friends at Panera Bread for sharing this delicious smoothie recipe that is packed with vitamins, nutrients, and FLAVOR! This is the perfect treat to keep those resolutions on track! 

Prep time: 10 mins 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and coarsely chopped 3 cups honeydew melon cubes 1 kiwi, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 cup packed baby kale leaves 1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped 1 cup crushed ice Pinch of salt

Roasted Beet Salad with Meyer Lemon Honey Dressing

With the New Year upon us, we've all made deals with ourselves to start off on a healthier foot... yet, come February there's a good chance we'll cave at the first site of a chocolate heart. So while we are putting our best fork forward, why not take a stab at this insanely easy roasted beet salad.

This recipe uses the natural sweetness that comes from roasting beats. Pair it with the a dressing packed with citrus and a hint of honey and you're sure to have a crowd-pleaser.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4
By: Kasey Potts of Kasey's Kitchen

Ingredients:

6-8 whole beets (golden and red)
olive oil
sea salt
1 stalk of fennel