Tag Archives: paleo

Healthy Cherry Garcia

I love anything cherry flavored. Growing up, I always requested cherry chip cake with cherry icing. Everyone in my family groaned, and thus said I only requested it so I could eat the whole thing. While, somewhat true… I mean what kid doesn’t want the whole cake to themselves?? I really did (ok, do…if I let myself make it, which I can’t…) love it!! I’ve come across other die hard cherry chip lovers in my adulthood. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!!! 🙂

Anywho! I also love Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia! YUM. I’ve been dying to try to make a healthier version. I succeeded a while back, but was rushed and took horrible pictures.

This week had been hard on both Maya and myself with us both being sick. She’d been abnormally bipolar. We’d been stuck in the house without school or other activities we usually do during the week. I’d been sick too and sleep deprived due to her being sick, so we were both a little stir crazy. All in all…not a good combination. SO…a treat was in order for us both!!

Thankfully, I still had most of the ingredients on hand to try the recipe again! And…I do believe it was even better than the first attempt!Ingredients (serves 4-Maya and I shared the above…it’s a pretty large serving ;))

2 Frozen Bananas (cut into 2-3 inch pieces prior to freezing)
1 cup frozen cherries
1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
Half of a vanilla bean (slice open and scrape inside out)
Garnish with dark chocolate chips, dried cherries, and unsweetened coconut (optional)

Directions

Put frozen bananas, frozen cherries, almond milk, and inside of vanilla bean in a Cuisinart, or blender and pulse until it looks like this (you might have to stop and stir occasionally. Also, might need to add more Almond Milk depending on the size of your bananas.Maya loves to push the pulse button 🙂 She also likes to get in the way and try eat whatever I’m photographing 🙂 Garnish with the dark chocolate, dried cherries, and unsweetened coconut (although, omit this if you are strict on certain diets). Enjoy! We did 😉

Paleo Lemon Bars

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When life gives you.. lemons? Paleo lemon bars (pure deliciousness) to the rescue! These are a perfect cool summer dessert. Crowd pleasers and a great protein rich, not too sweet, not too tart dessert.

These did not last very long in my house.. just a warning, they are super yummy! 🙂

Crust

1/2 cup almond flour (or sesame flour if allergic to nuts)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil (warmed if solid)
Zest of 1/2 lemon

Filling

5 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 cup raw honey (warmed if solid)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix almond flour, tapioca flour, raw honey and lemon zest in a food processor until a crumbly dough forms
Press into the bottom of an 8×8 glass baking dish
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes
To make filling, whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl whisk the lemon juice and tapioca flour until fully combined.
Whisk lemon mixture and eggs together, being careful to not over-whisk
Whisk in the raw honey
Pour filling over crust
Place in oven and let bake for ~25 minutes or until just set (firm on outside, a little wiggly in center)
Remove from oven and allow to cool, refrigerate until set, about 4 hours

Thanks for the inspiration http://www.paleocupboard.com/lemon-bars.html

Easy Herb and Parmesan Baked Salmon

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This is a super easy way to prepare salmon! Brush with a little olive oil, fresh herbs, some cheese and bake! Even my kids loved it (to my surprise, because they have not been fans of fish lately) – win win! 🙂

Ingredients

1lb slab of salmon
1 Tbsp olive oil
Some sprigs of fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregano), torn
Handful of parmesan cheese (omit if strict paleo)

Directions

Oil baking dish
Add salmon and brush lightly with oil
Sprinkle fresh herbs on salmon
Top with cheese
Bake @ 350 for 25-28 minutes

Soft Boiled Egg, Avocado, Almond, and Arugula Salad

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If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s raiding the kitchen and pulling a meal out of my arse 🙂 That’s exactly what I did on Saturday, and it was delicious. Although, adding a soft boiled egg to just about anything makes it delicious in my book!Ingredients (serves 4)

One medium yellow onion
2 Avocados
4 eggs (although, I gave the Huz 2 eggs on his salad, so…as many eggs as people want ;))
Handful of almonds chopped
4 Tablespoons Goat Cheese (omit if you are trying to go Paleo/Whole30)
Large handful of Arugula for each plate.
Balsamic Reduction (can do on stove top or buy from Trader Joe’s) Drizzle over top to taste.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in eggs, and cook for 7-8 minutes depending on how runny you want the yolk. I did mine for 8. Remove and add cold water til cool.
While the eggs are boiling, cut your onion in 1/2 inch pieces, season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill on BBQ or on stove top until soft and a little charred. Then dice.
Place arugula on each plate. Top each with half an avocado sliced or diced. Sprinkle almonds and goat cheese. Drizzle balsamic reduction, olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Crack the egg on top right before serving. Maya is pretty open to eating whatever we eat, but she doesn’t really like the taste of arugula. I wasn’t really sure if it was ok for her to eat a soft boiled egg, so I cooked her egg 2 minutes longer than ours, and just put everything else into a bowl for her. She gobbled it all up! 🙂

Enjoy!!

Paleo Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

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This is a variation of the Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake I posted a few weeks ago! I added some almond essence and sliced apples to make this Paleo Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake!

Ingredients

Cake

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 tsp almond essence (optional)
2 apples, thinly sliced (I prefer a tart apple like Granny Smith which is also great for baking)

Topping

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup also works great)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)
To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a bowl

Directions

Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
In a food processor, combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
Pulse in coconut oil, honey, eggs and almond essence
Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
Place sliced apples into the batter
Brush topping over cake batter
Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes
Cool and serve

Chocolate Chia Pudding

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This is a basic and yummy chocolate chia pudding! I eat it for breakfast, or as a power snack. What’s the big deal about chia? Is it just a fad? Well, 2013 definitely seemed to be “year of the chia” but it’s stuck around. Chia seeds are supposed to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and packed with vitamins and minerals. They can be eaten raw or soaked (they absorb ~12 times weight in liquid when soaked) and are an easy add to smoothies, energy bars, yogurt, and more.

I made another pudding with chia seeds recently, the Raw “Tapioca” Pudding. That recipe called for cashews and was very yummy, but this one is nut free. You can adjust the amount of sweetness to taste. Lauren also made a Chia Pudding with Blackberries and Honey and that is another great staple recipe.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk, blended
1/2 cup water
¼ cup chia seeds
2 tablespoon cacao powder
1 Tbsp agave, maple syrup or honey
sprinkle of celtic sea salt

Instructions

Combine blended coconut milk, water, and chia seeds in a jar and shake well
Add cacao powder, stevia, and salt and shake well
Refrigerate overnight to let chia seeds soften and absorb liquid
Serve and enjoy! 🙂

Inspired and slightly modified from the original. Thanks Elana’s Pantry!

Shakshouka // The lazy gals version…with chicken sausage.

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I was totally intrigued when Esther posted this recipe. And then of course, I had to try my “lazy gals” approach to it! And…I added a little more protein, because…teenage boys and all. It needs to be more filling! All by itself, I LOVED it! I served it over veggie pasta, so that it would appeal the masses (teenage boys/toddler girl), but I would have happily eaten it as is, and been totally satisfied and happy!Ingredients

(serving size depends on how many you want to feed. I fed 5)

One medium size yellow onion
Tablespoon crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Jar of your favorite pasta sauce
8 Chicken sausage (already cooked and diced)
Half of a large avocado or one small
5 Eggs

What to do

In a sauce pan heat olive oil, garlic, and onions until onions are soft.
While those are heating, dice your chicken sausages into bite size pieces.
Add to onion mixture once onions are almost done and heat chicken sausages for a minute
Add pasta sauce and bring to a boil.
Make a pocket and crack eggs into the pocket. Cover and let cook for 6-8 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to your liking. Garnish with sliced avocado and enjoy!

Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake

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Paleo coffee cake? This is gluten and grain free and made with high protein almond meal. It turned out fluffy and perfect and the kids loved it as well. I am working on a version with apples that I will post later. 🙂

The flowers shown are from my Dogwood tree. Not edible, but they are a gorgeous rosy pink.

Ingredients

Cake

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
3 large eggs

Topping

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup again works great)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions

Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
In a food processor , combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
Pulse in coconut oil, honey, and eggs
Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a bowl
Brush topping over cake batter
Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes
Cool and serve

Thanks and inspired by Elana’s Pantry

Lemon Pudding Parfait

Fresh Squeezed Sparkling Orange Juice

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This was our Easter brunch drink, super simple, super yummy. The kids LOVE to help squeeze oranges on our little juicer, so you can make this into a fun kid activity and show them where juice comes from! 🙂

Ingredients

Oranges
Sparkling water
Fresh rosemary, thyme or mint for garnish

Directions

Juice oranges and pour in glasses
Top with a splash of sparkling water
Garnish with fresh herbs
Serve!

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