Tyler's Key Lime Squares

Tonight we have a Max Life potluck! Tyler and I debated over what to bring, since we have made some fantastic food items over the past couple weeks. But we decided to go with Tyler's Key Lime Squares. They were fantastic last time he made them! I let him take the reins for tonight's dish as well. We snagged this recipe off the GOOD FOOD blog (She has some amazing recipes on her blog. Check it out!). We are both looking forward to seeing if others enjoy them as much as we do!

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Stevia equivalent to 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Combine all the Crust ingredients and press into an 8" x 8" baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, assemble the key lime topping mixture:

Key Lime Topping Mixture:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

stevia equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar

3 large eggs

the zest of a lime

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

Add two drops of green food coloring, but I would not recommend doing this if you do not have high quality, "no-sugar-or-preservatives-added" food coloring.

Combine all the key lime topping mixture ingredients in a blender.

When crust has baked for 15 minutes, pour the topping mixture over the crust and return the crust and topping mixture to the oven to bake at 350 degrees for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Let the finished product cool in the baking dish for 30 minutes, and then chill it in the refrigerator until chilled through- about another 30 to 45 minutes. Cut into squares.

5 Finds During My Vegas Hiatus

I left last Thursday for my trip to Las Vegas. Between shopping and packing for the trip, I really didn't get very much blogging done. However, the Vegas trip has been extremely beneficial and I've learned a lot about myself and what I need to do to succeed in the Maximized Living Advanced Plan. 

You've got to be questioning how a trip to Vegas could benefit anyone on a strict nutritional plan, but trust me, it was worth it. Here are the 5 finds from my Vegas trip that I will forever benefit from in the future. 

1. Roasted nuts do not count as good fats. I know this seems like a no-brainer. BUT I was downing roasted nuts like crazy during my first week and a half in the Advanced Plan diet. I feel like I knew better, or should have known, but the cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and basically any other oils you might find on a package of roasted peanuts are rancid. PLUS, I was eating far too many nuts as well. While I felt, at times, those roasted nuts were my best option, I now know I will pack ample amounts of raw nuts on future trips. 

2. I love Grey Goose and Club Soda. I was advised that if I were going to drink anything while there, that would have to be it. Add two lime slices to that and I was one happy camper. I only drank one night, but I definitely made it count. At least I know if drinking is a "must" in a particular social setting, I can get by with a couple of these and not be completely miserable. 

3. Too much booze = instant food monster. I hammered down quite a few of those fabulous drinks, and while I was having a great time, I also lose all inhibition to stick to my diet plan. I actually might have left Vegas thinking I successfully managed to eat not a single piece of bread until I brought it up to my friends who immediately informed me I downed at least a quarter of a loaf after the drunken night. Bummer. 

4. Sticking to the Advanced Plan is nearly impossible if you pick a low-quality restaurant. And that is exactly where we ate all weekend. I did my best-- chicken sandwich no bun, salad no dressing, but after awhile you're about to go absolutely crazy. I was almost paranoid about eating at places because I simply could not trust them. ON TOP OF IT, we went to Dick's Bar and Grill, where they actually make fun of you for asking nutritional information and refuse to serve you water unless they bring it in a trough and make you drink it from a straw. So, in the future, investing in a nicer restaurant will always be worth it. 

5. If you haven't been on the Advanced Plan for at least 3 weeks, the minute you eat sugar is back to Day 1. So, that's where I am, back and day 1 and not really too disappointed. I had a chance to read the entire Maximized Living Nutrition Plans book and learned that while I thought I was going about things the best way, I was really a little "off." But not all is lost, I did not gain a single pound in Vegas. I did my very best there and it showed. 

I'm ready to get back into action and start applying my new-found knowledge to each day during the plan. My goals for this week:

1. If I eat nuts, the serving size needs to fit in the palm of my hand and that's it! I don't need more than that to feel satisfied and any more than that is mindless eating. Also, no more roasted nuts, ever. 

2. Stick to a meal plan. Three meals and one snack is really all I need in a day. I found I was snacking on nuts outside of those meals often OR eating late night desserts. While they were still Advanced Plan approved, I was eating past dinner time, which is not recommended. 

3. Eat 15-20 grams of protein at meals, maybe less at dinner. I think I was over-eating the protein, which is only going to ultimately turn to sugar. I have a food scale that I would like to start using to get into the habit of identifying what that serving size looks like!

And, a rule for myself from now and forever, LIMIT the amount of times I weigh myself. I need to chill out a bit. This is not a race. I am going to slip up (Vegas) and maybe have to start over, but I cannot keep stepping on the scale to live and die with each number. Once per week. That's it!