Can Eating Dessert Help You Lose Weight?

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At first glance, there’s no way something this delicious-looking could be healthy—right? Wrong. It’s one of the recipes from Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight. It’s the new diet book I’m following, and you can get caught up by reading my earlier updates here and here.

Things I love about this rule-breaking diet include the recipe ideas and the easy to follow meal planning. Desserts and even bedtime snacks are included and encouraged!

The No Bake Salted Caramel Bars are one of my favorite treats from the book and are made with some smart and healthy ingredients.

The coconut oil and coconut flour offer a naturally occurring source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of fat that your body can easily absorb and burn as energy, which may aid weight loss, and the pecans add an extra boost of healthy fats, plant-based protein, and fiber. Raw nuts have also been associated with reduced risk of heart disease and even deaths associated with cancer and diabetes. This combination of healthy fats will keep blood sugar at bay before bed (or any time of day), keeping the body in a fat burning environment. The book and recipes have introduced me to some new ingredients, including Swerve, which is a sugar replacement with zero net carbs.

Learning when and what to eat has helped me on the path to achieving my goals to lose some pounds and gain some energy. The most challenging times to curb hunger are just before bed and in the morning. By following the Always Eat After 7PM program, you have the most willpower to stay on the diet because you are eating during the hours when you are most hungry. This also puts you into both intermittent fasting increasing testosterone and your metabolism, while putting you into ketosis.

In addition to the recipes and food lists, the book goes into the science behind eating and dieting. According to the book, “Specific higher-carbohydrate foods (including berries and cherries) support your fat-burning metabolism while you sleep, providing your body with a steady stream of fuel throughout the night. The trick is knowing how to combine them with other evening and pre-bedtime fat-burning foods to fuel your metabolism as you sleep.”

If you want to check it out, Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. Learn more about the book and how to purchase here.

Instant Pot Review + Tips, Hacks and Giveaway

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The Instant Pot is one of my favorite things! I’ve had mine for 2 years now, and still rave about it to everyone I know. I gave my parents one for Christmas and now they are hooked, too!

If you want to cut straight to the chase, you can check out some of my favorite Instant Pot recipes, hacks and cooking tips I’ve pinned to my Pinterest Board: I Love My Instant Pot.

What’s an Instant Pot

If you haven’t already heard about the Instant Pot, it’s a programmable electric pressure cooker that takes the place of 7 kitchen appliances/cooking functions. It’s a Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker and Warmer. Not only is it super versatile, but it also let’s you prepare healthy, tasty dishes up to 70% faster. It’s great for parties and entertaining since it keeps food warm for hours.

Instant Pot Bone Broth and Stew for Pets and People

In addition to cooking for your human family members, you can also use the Instant Pot to cook for your dog! Making bone broth is super easy in the Instant Pot and I usually make several batches each month and always make a batch with NO onions or garlic so that it’s safe for Daisy. I also make dog-friendly stew to store in the freezer in small portions for Daisy. Her favorite is a fish and sweet potato stew but I like to experiment.

How to Store Broth, Stew and Batch Cooking

I find the easiest way to freeze and store bone broth, stew and soup in small portions is using these Square Silicone Molds. Each tray holds 8 4oz cubes so portions are pre-measured when I want to pop a few out of the freezer to use them. I learned this tip from Michelle Tam at Nom Nom Paleo. She’s got amazing Instant Pot Recipes and Tips on her blog!

Easy to Peel Hard-Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot

Another of my favorite IP tricks is making hard-boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. Although it’s not really much faster than other methods, the pressure makes them way easier to peel than any other way I’ve tried. I use this method as my guide but usually put them in a bowl of ice and water to chill them quickly as soon as they are done cooking.

Getting Started with Instant Pot

There are SO many things I make in my Instant Pot: steamed beets, carnitas, “baked” sweet potatoes, short ribs, corned beef & cabbage, shredded chicken…you can even make cheesecake although I haven’t tried that one yet!

If you don’t know where to get started, LifeHacker has done a list of The First 7 Things You Should Make With a New Instant Pot.

You can also join the Official Instant Pot Community Group on Facebook. You’ll connect with all kinds of IP Fanatics and real people sharing Instant Pot recipes, ideas tips and solutions.

In addition to what’s on my Pinterest board, these are some of my favorite Instant Pot recipes and resources:

 

Got a dad or hubby who loves to cook? The Instant Pot makes a GREAT Father’s Day gift idea!

Where to Buy an Instant Pot

If you’re wondering where to buy an Instant Pot, I recommend Amazon.com. I got mine on sale HERE and as new models come out, the previous version usually becomes a great bargain. You’ll also spot Gold Box deals on Instant Pot from time to time as well as Black Friday and Cyber Week deals.

Instant Pot Giveaway

Want a chance to WIN an Instant Pot? Enter our giveaway!

Use the contest widget below to enter for a chance to WIN an Instant Pot 7 In 1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart. $99 value.
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Get 25% OFF Thrive Market for Eco-Friendly, All-Natural, Vegan, Paleo + More

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thrive

Because I know that all of you care about the wellness and safety of your family & fur kids, as well as the health of our planet & environment, I’ve secured a very special invitation for our readers to join Thrive Market and get 25% OFF your first order. It’s a great chance to stock up on non-toxic and eco-friendly cleaning supplies, try some new organic snacks for back-to-school lunches, or go green with your beauty routine!

What’s Thrive Market?

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What can I get from Thrive Market?

  • Organic Pantry Goods
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  • Healthy Snacks and Treats
  • Visit Thrive Market for more

Use this invite link to join and get 25% OFF your first order at Thrive Market. You’ll also get FREE Shipping on orders of $49+.

7 DIY Pet Projects, Crafts and Recipes

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diy pet projects, crafts and recipes

Do you love DIY and craft projects almost as much as you love your pet? Then you won’t want to miss any of these fabulous pet projects, crafts and treat recipes. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite tutorials, recipes and patterns to help you get your craft on!

pet scrapbooking

Pet Scrapbooking

Save all those precious memories of your fur kid with these great tips and ideas on how to create a scrapbook especially for your pet. Go here for tutorial.

organic cat treats

Homemade Organic Spinach & Chicken Cat Treats

Learn how to make these easy and crunchy organic cat treats for your kitty.  With organic catnip, chicken and more tasty ingredients, they are sure to be a hit with even the most finicky feline friend! Get the recipe here.

diy dog coat

DIY Water-Resistant Dog Coat

The queen of all DIY Crafts, Martha Stewart, has a whole section of great pet craft projects including this one on how to make your own doggy coat. We think it looks more like a vest, but it’s super cute either way! Go here for the instructions.

 diy dog silhouette

DIY Dog Silhouette Art

Create your own wall art using your dog’s silhoutte. Stunning and simple! According to the author, the most difficult part is getting your dog to sit still for the photo. Learn how here.

make your own salmon treats for dogs

Salmon Cookie Recipe for Dogs

This easy recipe uses salmon or tuna and other natural ingredients to create adorable and yummy treats for your dog.  Now I just have to go find a fish-shaped cookie cutter! Get the recipe here.

knit dog toy pattern

Knit a Dog Toy

This intermediate knitting project calls for small double-pointed needles and worsted weight yarn. It looks a little challenging for a beginner like me, but it’s so darn cute that I had to share it! Get the dog toy knitting pattern.

Homemade Wild Bird Treats

Make Your Own Wild Bird Treats

And finally, here’s one for the birds! These easy, hanging treats for wild birds make a great gift idea…and would look so cute hanging outside the window. Get the super simple directions.

Lunch with #HeinzVinegar: Apple Walnut Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette

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I’m participating in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Heinz Vinegar. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and as a thank you for participating.

Apple Walnut Salad

I’ve been a fan of using apple cider vinegar around the house for quite some time…mostly for cleaning, as a hair rinse and as a natural remedy for Daisy, both as a skin soother and added to her kibble for digestive health. Many pet parents also use it as a natural flea deterrent.  Of course, it’s also great in the kitchen especially for sauces, dressings, pickling and more.

Since I work from home, I love making a big salad for lunch with whatever I have in the fridge that day, but especially love this combination of apples, walnuts, avocado and simple dressing I mix up ahead of time in my blender bottle so I always have some ready to go with just a quick shake! Here’s the recipe, if you want to give it a try…

Apple Walnut Salad with Maple Cider Vinaigrette

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