Fox Hill Kitchens Review

Happy Thursday! I want to say a major thank you for all the support I've received for my post about World Lupus Day! All of your kind words, emails, instagram comments, etc. have meant so much to me and I'm slowly working to reply to all of them! 

I'm super pumped about today's post because I was able to taste test some of Fox Hill Kitchens awesome products! I was blown away by the companies generosity when they shipped me a package because they included a little bit of everything for me to try. Let me just say, since being gluten free I have yet to find a bread that I liked. I've tried just about every gluten free bread I could find and everything tasted like cardboard. I gave up because it wasn't worth the time or the money (gluten free bread isn't cheap!). So, when I came across Fox Hill Kitchens my interest was immediately piqued. How could something be 'bread' if it wasn't made from grains?! 

Let me tell you their products are fabulous! The day after I received the package I made a sandwich for lunch, which I haven't had in YEARS. I used one of their large buns to make a turkey, lettuce, avocado, and tomato sandwich. The result was so good I wanted to cry tears of joy! The bun tasted AMAZING! It is a little chewier than I remember bread being, but it's fluffy, light, and so tasty-> no cardboard taste here! My family thought it was a little strange that I was so happy over bread, but when you haven't had a sandwich in years things like this are a BIG DEAL! I have also used their small buns for sandwiches and they are just as good as the larger ones. I also love how versatile the buns are because they can be used for sandwiches, as an english muffin, a snack roll (smear some PB and banana slices), you can't go wrong no matter how you eat them!

Shall we talk about macros? We shall because they're AWESOME! The large buns contain only 13g carbs, 10g fat, and 7.6g protein for only 153 calories. You cannot find another bread that has that much protein and tastes this good! The small buns are also awesome coming in at 8.8g carbs, 6.8g fat, 5.4g protein for only 104 calories! 

While the macros are epic (they really are, you can't deny it) probably my favorite part about Fox Hill Kitchens are their simple ingredients: almonds, egg whites, coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, starch and aluminum free baking powder, and yeast. That's it. Did I mention all their ingredients are organic and non-GMO? Totally awesome! Not only are all the products delicious, but I can feel good about eating them and giving them to my family to eat because there aren't any chemicals or lord knows what else in them. Simple ingredients is the way to go folks! 

Next on deck for me to try from Fox Hill Kitchens are the everything double sided bagelz and rollz and holz. I can't wait to try them because I haven't had a dinner roll or a bagel in probably 5+ years! Head on over to Fox Hill Kitchens and check out all their awesome products and follow them on instagram, but be warned their feed will leave you drooling and hungry!

Bodyweight Workout

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with your mom or whoever you celebrated with. I woke up sick Saturday morning (who gets sick in May!?!) and was so bummed because I didn't get to spend the afternoon with my BBG ladies :( I didn't get hang out with my mom on Mother's Day because I didn't want to get her sick. I'm hoping that whatever this bug is passes quickly because I definitely want to see my BBG ladies this weekend!

I wanted to share the workout I lead my BBG ladies through at our last meet up. It's a bodyweight workout so it can be done at home and you don't need a lot of space to do it. You only need your phone or a timer so you can time the 6 minute circuits. There are four circuits- abs, cardio, arms, and legs- and you run through the entire workout twice. Once you complete the whole workout-abs, cardio, arms, legs- run through it AGAIN. If you're really daring do it three times, but don't say I didn't warn you that you WILL get sweaty ;) If you try the workout tag me on instagram, use the hashtag #sweatwithrachael, or tag me Facebook! 

Coconut Chia Granola

Happy Wednesday! I know I've been MIA from the blog, but I was lacking creativity and i needed some time to just live life. Stepping away from the computer, social media, etc. helps me refocus and get the creative juices flowing. I baked up a storm the past week so I have some new recipes coming that I'm excited to share, but today I'm sharing one of my new favorite recipes.

Granola and I are sort of like peanut butter and jelly, we just go together. I love sprinkling some over fruit, dairy free yogurt, smoothie bowls, etc. I like a little added crunch but it's so hard to find store bought granola that isn't loaded with a bazillion ingredients, sugar, and lord knows what else. I was making some goodies for a friend this weekend and I know she loves granola so I whipped up a batch of coconut chia granola. This has become a favorite with my mom because it's so easy and quick to make, plus it's so customizable!

Chia Coconut Granola

• 2 cups gluten free oats
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, divided
• 1/4 cup nut butter of choice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• OPTIONAL: chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with tinfoil (or silpat mat) and spray with coconut oil or nonstick cook spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine oats and chia seeds.

In a separate mixing bowl add nut butter and honey. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and if the nut butter isn't melted microwave for an additional 15-20 seconds and stir again. 

Stir brown sugar and vanilla extract into nut butter/honey combo.

Pour liquid ingredients over oats/chia seeds and stir until all oats are covered.

Spread oats out into an even layer on baking sheet. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of coconut flakes over oats.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until granola is golden brown. Stir oats halfway through cooking so they brown evenly. 

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining 2 Tablespoons coconut flakes over granola. Allow to cool complete before adding in chocolate chips and storing in an airtight container. 

If you make this yummy granola take a picture, tag me on instagram, and use the hashtag #thesimplelife I'd love to see your creations! Don't forget to like my new Facebook page!