Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

One of the things I really miss since I started avoiding grains is chocolate chip cookies. I could eat a whole batch...hence the current state of my jeans size. But I still want that cookie!

My compromise? Chocolate Chip Mug Cake. Just enough to kill the craving, no so much I'll be eating the rest before bedtime.

3T almond flour
2T coconut flour
2T butter, melted & cooled (in the mug)
2T coconut palm sugar (tastes like caramel, yum)
1/2 t vanilla
1 egg
pinch of salt
handful of chocolate chips

Mix in the mug and microwave for 2 minutes. Because you melted the butter in the mug, the cake turns out perfectly.

My Favorite Salad

I'm not sure I can call this salad cooking...since it is a throw together. I could call it raw, or gluten free, or primal or what have you. I prefer delicious.

Grapefruit
Orange
Avocado
Spinach
Walnuts

That's it! I supreme the citrus into sections and squeeze the remaining juice over the spinach. But...you can use those presectioned cups from the grocery store. Tossing the salad together coats the leaves with the crisp citrus and luscious avocado. YUM!

Great dinner before my workout last night.

Against The Grain

Since I pulled grains from my diet, I find I am much nicer to myself food-wise. Breakfast was cereal or oatmeal depending on time. Lunch used to be PBJ or a turkey sandwich if I had a moment. Crackers for a snack. Dinner always needed bread, pasta, rice...and now that all seems so bland.

I'm treating myself so much better, at least food-wise. I take the time to make things I would only have ordered in restaurants. Like Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing. Delish. Or my favorite Cobb Salad.

Dinners have had to be more creative since I'm the only one in the house against the grain. Stir-fry has become a staple because they can eat it with rice, while I just have the entree. Last night was family favorite Orange Beef with Green Beans. 

Breakfast is usually an omelet, though sometimes I go crazy with coconut pancakes or cheesecake pancakes...which are free of grains. Just looking at todays vegie omelet makes me feel healthier.

Now if I could just convince myself to do a few sit-ups...

Not So Chunky Monkey

Ice cream has to be the food I miss the most when I turn towards Primal eating. So of course, I had to find a cheat. Just look at it...doesn't it remind you of a tub of Ben & Jerry's?

How do you get this bowl of deliciousness? From those bananas you used to turn into banana bread. And that's about it.

Take those ripe bananas and slice them up, toss that into a freezer bag and lock it up in the freezer until you get a craving.

When you're hungry set up your food processor, dump in the bananas and turn on the machine. Now, it will at first look like chunks of banana ice. Don't freak out. It all comes together in the end.

For banana nice cream, that's it. Just the bananas. But you can add anything you want. Like mini chocolate chips and pecans, or a glop of coconut milk and coconut flakes, or a spoon of almond butter and cocoa powder. Whatever.

Enjoy!

Pink Macaroni & Cheese

My kids love mac & cheese...from a box. We've gone through a half dozen recipes trying to find what they dislike about the homemade version. We finally figured out they don't like the consistency of a flour thickened cheese sauce. OK...

I was flattened to find out how easy it is to make mac & cheese if you don't bother making cheese sauce. Ready for it?

a box of mac, cooked and drained.
a can of crushed tomatoes
a pint of 1/2 & 1/2 (even the fat-free version)

a bag of shredded cheese...we like the mexican blend, but cheddar, colby jack, and Italian have all done right by us. This is a great way to use up all your cheesy odds and ends.

That is IT. Plop it in a pan and bake until bubbly...like 30 minutes.
My kiddos are particular, so they like a crunchy top, but not with breadcrumbs. So...I put slivers of butter on top. They also like bacon in it. I'm just glad they're not eating neon cheese.

Primal Chocolate Bread

Apparently, the kiddos and I are enjoying primal quickbreads! We're baking almost every day - two loafs at a time! I love to bake, and the way the house smells when something delish is in the oven. And I love that my kiddos haven't even noticed they're getting less grains.

Primal Chocolate Bread

Heat oven to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter

2 eggs

1/4 melted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup applesauce
2T cocoa powder
2T honey or maple syrup

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes

Primal Cheese Bread!

My new favorite recipe for quick-breads works for savory loafs too! You can only imagine how relieved I am. Makes me want to make some tomato bisque or broccoli cheese soup...or even a grilled cheese sandwich.
Primal Cheese Bread

Heat oven to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter

2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 t baking powder
pinch of garlic powder, onion powder...if you have it

Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes It smells...so good! Next time, I think I'll make it was parmesan and a pinch of dried oregano. Bread is back!

Primal Cherry Almond Fudge Bread

I love cherry almond fudge ice cream. I miss it, but not enough to deal with the post-sugar hangover. Instead, I tried to recreate the flavor in a quick bread. Since my standard recipe uses almond butter, that was covered. For fudgy flavor I used mini-chocolate chips. Now cherries...

There are two options. Soak dried cherries in hot water, and puree. Or, if you have fresh or frozen cherries, place them in a saucepan with a bit of water. As they cook, smoosh the cherries with a fork. When they are rich and syrupy, puree. Either way makes a tasty cherry mixture for this recipe, topping pancakes, or serving over simple sauteed chicken. Yum.

PRIMAL CHERRY ALMOND FUDGE BREAD

Heat over to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::


1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup cherry puree
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan and make for 40-45 minutes.

My little diva seemed to like this one best...but it could be all the chocolate. Either way, I'm glad to have found a way to lessen the amount of grains she eats.

Primal Applesauce Bread

After months of no bread, I seem to have an addiction to the promal variety. This version is amazing toasted with butter.

Heat over to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter

2 eggs

1/4 melted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup applesauce
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda
1 T cinnamon

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan and make for 40-45 minutes.

Primal Banana Bread

Last week's Primal Pumpkin Bread didn't make it a day, so more gluten-free treats were in order. And I just happened to have a lone ripe banana. In a house of nearly green banana eaters, these baby was heading for the freezer (chopped up frozen rip banana makes for great smoothies). And now...it is bread.

Hubba Bubba wants me to mention that he can tell there is no grain in the 'bread', and that I should not be calling it bread and...blah blah blah. He's mad that banana won't be in his smoothie.

PRIMAL BANANA BREAD

Heat over to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::
1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1 ripe banana, mashed
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda
A handful of walnuts

Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan. Top with walnuts (or chop and stir them in, but my diva doesn't do walnuts, so having them on top makes them easy to remove) and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Yummy plain, amazing with cultured butter.

I really enjoy having a baking outlet again. And something quick for breakfast. I don't always have time for an omelet.

Primal Pumpkin Bread

In July I stepped into the world of the Primal Blueprint. I'd read the book a month before at the reccomendation of my Zumba instructor, and a lot of the science behind it resonated with me. As did knowing that if I didn't get my metabolic syndrome under control, it wouldn't be long until I'd be jabbing by fingertips -- a scary thing for anyone, but especially a writer who taps keys with said fingertips for hours a day.

I'm doing well on it - 35 pounds closer to goal weight, fewer headaches and tummy troubles, and  my plantar faciaitis is even improving. I can't figure out how to make it jive with traveling - though watching a friend do it at the last conference does give me hope. Not enough to skip conference cheesecake this time, but maybe someday.

I've been on it long enough to notice the side-effects of stepping off the plan. The first few days after are like a hangover. Which always leaves me wondering why I stepped off in the first place.

I do miss baking, though. And eating cakes, cookies and muffins. My grandfather once told me that if I ate nothing but fluffy, flaky things I'd be a fluffy, flaky person. Now, he was talking about my odd obsession with fruit salad - the kind that is more marshmallow than fruit and full of coconut flakes. It was a joke. But it did stick with me, making me wonder if muffins caused my muffin top.

I've decided it wasn't muffins, but what I was baking with. I strive to be grain-free, and limit starches and processed foods as much as I can. But it is pumpkin bread season, and since I missed zucchini bread season (made it for the kids, though I'm starting to feel guilty for giving them grains) I didn't want to let another favorite food pass me by.

So, I found a way to do it healthfully. Without grains and an entire cup of sugar.

PRIMAL PUMPKIN BREAD

I use a small loaf pan...I think it is 3x8 or so. I make them small because usally they are just for me, and since there are no preservatives they won't last forever. But, my princess hasn't met a paleo bread she doesn't like, so I may have to up my quantity.

Heat oven to 325. Grease your small loaf pan. Mix together ::

1/2 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 melted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 t cinnamon
2T honey or maple syrup
1/2 t baking soda

Add in chocolate chips or raisins -- I've been using regular sized chocolate chips, but just found the organics in mini-chips, which would work better.


Once that is combined, stir in the juice from 1/2 a small lemon or a 1/4 of a large one. About a teaspoon. Pour into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Be amazed by the results, and don't expect the bread to last long. You won't be tempted by the Starbucks offerings again.

Foodalicious : Cinnamon Rolls

Bread dough

 

Cinnamon

 

Brown sugar

 

Butter

 

Icing (butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract)

Foodalicious : Goat Cheese Pizza

beer crust

goat cheese

carmelized onions

pecans

Foodalicious : Manhattan

whiskey

vermouth

marachino cherries

Foodalicious : Taco Pizza

Beer crust

salsa

chicken

cheddar

crushed tortilla chips

lettuce

sour cream

Foodalicious : Bacon Mac & Cheese

Smoked Gouda

Bacon

Foodalicious : Chocolate Martini

Grey Goose

Bailey's

European drinking chocolate

Foodalicious : Apple Brie Braid

bread dough

apples

butter

brie

egg wash

(the perfect holiday breakfast bread)

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry with Noodles

In my house, the crock pot is for pot roast and split pea soup. We've tried other recipes, but always wind up ordering pizza. Until...I dreamed this little number up.

It is easy enough for kids to prep. No joke. You need a crockpot, frozen chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) a can of coconut milk, a jar of curry sauce, and a box of rice noodles.



What an unappetising picture!



Turn the crockpot on low, drop in the chicken thighs (5 or so) pour the curry sauce over, add the coconut milk, cover and ignore for the day.

6 or 8 or 10 hours later, stir the curry...the chicken shreds itself!

Submerge the rice noodles...wait 10 minutes...or 40. Whenever. And voila! Chicken and noodles!

I know, I know...the kids eat curry? Yes, happily - even my pickiest one. Because I use mild curry. But, it's fantastic with pretty much any kind of curry. And if your careful about the jarred curry sauce? Gluten free. Can't beat it.

You can find jars of curry sauce in the Asian food section of the grocery store...I found this one at Albertsons!