Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love a chewy chocolate chip cookie??? I know that I sure do! I have been craving cookies for about a week now and I thought that if I would just ignore the craving, it would go away. NOPE. It didn't happen. So, I decided to give in and make some. They turned out amazing! It was everything I had hoped for and more. I know, that sounded dramatic. You just wait until you try them.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 + cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl , combine melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Add the liquid ingredients to the almond flour mixture. Combine well.
3. Fold in chocolate chips
4. Take about 1 Tbsp of cookie batter, roll into a ball and place on cookie sheet lined with 2 pieces of parchment paper*. Continue until all the batter is used up. 
5. Press the cookie dough balls down until flat. The cookies will not spread or rise much (if any) so the size you make the cookies, is the size your cookie will turn out
6. Bake cookies for approx 8-12 minutes. Mine were perfect at 9 minutes. The cookies will not be completely done. They will still be really soft. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes - this allows the cooking process to continue and the cookies will firm up. 

This made a dozen cookies for me! *Lining the cookie sheet with 2 pieces of parchment paper will ensure that the bottom of the cookie doesn't burn.

Consume one and share the rest!! I do think that these are best right out of the oven if you eat them right after they have cooled for the 10 minutes. They still taste great the next day, but we all know that fresh, warm cookies are the best.

For other variations of cookies, use the exact same ingredients, minus the chocolate chips. Then add any mix-in's you'd like. I am going to try cranberries and walnuts next! And heck, I may leave the chocolate chip's in those cookies! I have done a Snickerdoodle variation. To make these, again leave out the chocolate chips, and in a separate bowl,  mix 1 Tbsp cinnamon with 1 Tbsp coconut crystals. Before placing the dough on your baking sheet, roll the cookie dough ball in the cinnamon crystal mixture. Then place on baking sheet and flatten - follow the remaining steps. 

Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Chip cookies

Dessert on a Spoon

The other night I was really craving something sweet, and preferably with chocolate. It was already getting a little bit late and I didn't want to dirty up the kitchen or make something that required any amount of effort or time. I didn't think I would get my craving met, because let's be honest, all those stipulations I just put on myself would make creating any dessert rather tricky. What I ended up with, was pure genius (only because I couldn't figure out why I hadn't thought of this before!) - although it can hardly be called a 'recipe'. It was the perfect quick, easy, non-messy, little bit of dessert that I desperately wanted.

Ingredients:

• Metal spoon
• Almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
• Enjoy life chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Get a large spoonful of almond butter out of the jar, using your spoon
2. Place spoon in freezer on top of a small piece of parchment paper. Leave for approx 8
3. While spoon is in freezer, melt a couple handful's of chocolate chips in microwave
4. Dip almond butter-spoon in to melted chocolate and coat evenly
5. Place the spoon with chocolate covered almond butter back in the freezer for approx 8 more minutes. The chocolate should be hardened when done
6. Remove spoon from freezer and eat the chocolate covered almond butter right off of the spoon!

Cherry Ice Cream

Ice cream was a staple in my house growing up. My family would have ice cream for dessert at least 3 times a week, and I am pretty sure my parents still do. I am not going to sit here and pretend that I haven't had real ice cream since deciding to eat paleo - because that would be a huge, and total, lie. I LOVE ice cream. But now, since I have this paleofied version, I don't feel as guilty indulging in my guilty pleasure! And one more thing, don't worry if you don't have an ice cream maker. I don't.

Ingredients:

• 3 frozen, ripe bananas, cut up
• 1 cup frozen cherries
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (chill a can of coconut milk, then scrape the cream off the top)

Instructions:

1. Place the bananas, cherries, vanilla, and coconut cream in a food processor
2. Process all the ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until consistency of soft serve
3. Scoop the ice cream into chilled bowls and consume immediately.

This recipe will make a decent amount, so put the remainder in tuperware and stick it in the freezer to enjoy later! Next on my list of flavors to try is cinnamon peach, strawberry, and chocolate chip-something.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake

I know that I say this a lot, but this is the best paleo dessert that I have made. I have had many people confirm this truth, but I suppose there is always the chance they were just being nice. However, since I thought it was so good, I have made it 3 times in the past week. Don't worry, I didn't even have a bite of the second cake and only a (tiny) piece of the third. I made those cakes for friends. Although I can't promise that I didn't lick the batter clean off the spoon. And bowl  :) The first time I made this cake I used Ghee as my Fat of Choice. Ghee is not technically "paleo" since it is dairy, but it is clarified and has all of the milk proteins/casein removed. This is beneficial for those that have sensitivities to dairy. However, because I know that Ghee is a no-no to some, I decided to substitute it for a different FoC on the other cakes. I don't think that the texture or taste was altered significantly, so feel free to use which ever fat you would like. I think coconut oil would be a great choice, too! I used almond oil for the last 2 cakes and loved the extra hint of almond with the cherries. I also made some amazing paleo cherry ice cream (and I don't even have an ice cream maker!) that we ate along with the cake. Amazing!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup ghee (or use almond oil or coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup, approx, of cherries, halved and pitted.*

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix almond flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl
3. Mix eggs, almond extract, ghee, and honey in a small bowl
4. Incorporate egg mixture in to flour mixture. Mix until well combined
5. Fold in chocolate chips
6. Spray bundt pan with coconut oil, or other non-stick spray. Place halved/pitted cherries cut side UP in bottom of pan.
7. Pour batter on top of cherries and place in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake passes the toothpick test
8. Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Then, place a plate over pan and flip the pan over to release the cake on the pan.
9. Slice and serve!

* I used approx 20 cherries, that I halved, minus a few halves that got consumed while mixing.

Best. Banana. Bread. Ever.

I've been making a lot of cookies and cupcakes lately and wanted to try something a little different. IMO, the great thing about banana bread is that it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack....don't you just love versatile food??!?! I adapted the recipe from one at paleomg.com which called for 1.5 cups cashews. Well, I was about 1/2 cup short so I added in 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts and 1 Tbsp almond butter, because that is what I had. If you'd rather omit the pine nuts and almond butter, by all means use the full 1.5 cups of cashews; however, this is the recipe I used...and it was honestly the Best. Banana. Bread. Ever.

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas, ones that are brown and spotty
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
• 1/2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 Tbsp almond oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Put cashews/pine nuts in food processor and process until very fine. This should resemble flour
3. Once you get your cashew flour, add almond oil while processing, until it creates cashew butter. If you must, stick your finger in and taste it - but don't eat it all. It will be hard to refrain.
4. Peel the bananas and roughly break them into pieces. Add to food processor along with almond butter and process until liquidy. 
5. Next, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs then add almond flour, honey, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly until well combined into batter
6. Grease a bread pan with coconut oil, pour batter into pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bread  passes the toothpick test.
7. Remove from oven and let cool, then slice and serve. I promise you, you will want to eat the entire loaf. I had one piece, and then I split the loaf in half and sent some with Adam and took some to Irontribe. (I wish I had kept it all for myself)

Pineapple Protein Muffins

I love the fact that you can get SO much fruit from a pineapple. I have been eating and making recipes off this pineapple all week and I still have leftovers! I wanted to make a tropical muffin to have a little variety at breakfast. Since I plan on eating these in the morning, I wanted to add a little more protein, besides the egg, so I added powdered protein! They turned out amazing!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup protein (I used Progenex belgian chocolate)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp melted coconut oil
• 2 tsp almond butter
• 2/3 cup pineapple, diced *

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients, then mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Fold in pineapple
5. Scoop batter into a lined muffin tin - these will rise, a lot. Scoop batter accordingly.
6. Bake for 18 minutes

 *This recipe will work with just about any fruit. If you are using a fruit that has a lot of water in it (like blackberries or raspberries) use 2/3 cup. If you are using a fruit like blueberries or apples, use 1/2 cup

Paleo Cinnamon Rolls

One of my favorite childhood memories is when I would wake up on a Saturday morning to the smell of warm cinnamon rolls baking in the oven! My mom and I would always fight for "the middle" and I typically won :) I attempted to recreate this memory, and while these aren't exactly the same, they definitely hit the spot. I ended up finding this recipe on a new website (to me) vaughangela.com. You can't really go wrong with warm, gooey, pull apart cinnamon rolls, especially Paleo ones!!!

These take a little patience so make them during a lazy weekend. And trust me, they are worth the effort!

Ingredients:
The Dough:

• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup ghee
• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

The Filling:

• 2 Tbsp ghee
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup

The Icing:

• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a food processor, mix eggs, maple syrup, and ghee for The Dough. Then combine the rest of the ingredients (except nuts) under The Dough section and process until mixed
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place dough on top. Place another sheet of parchment paper on top and spread dough out into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Pull the top sheet of parchment off and sprinkle dough with pecans. Press pecans into dough with hands
5. Combine all the ingredients for The Filling together in a bowl and spread on top of dough.
6. Slowly lift the dough off the bottom sheet of parchment paper and carefully roll into a tight tube. Start with the long end a roll away from you.
7. Use a sharp knife to cut individual rolls from the dough (about 1/2 inch thick). You can spray knife with cooking spray if it starts sticking to dough,
8. Place flat side down on the parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes
9. While baking, mix together all of the ingredients for The Icing.
10. When the rolls are done, drizzle some icing on top and serve.

 

*Disclaimer: Cinnamon rolls were probably not part of your regular diet pre-Paleo; Therefore, these should not be a regular part of your Paleo diet. These are for special occasions and absolutely worth it.

Caramel Pecan Bars

Happy Friday and Memorial Day Weekend! It's is my hope that everyone will take a moment out of their weekend to remember all those that have fought, and died, for our freedom. There is a  lady who works out at ITF whose husband was killed while serving and she is one of the strongest women I know and I respect and admire her more than she knows. She has written a blog post on IronTribe's website regarding Memorial Day and I encourage you to read it. Here is the link.

I know that a lot of people will be spending this long weekend by the pool with friends, at the lake, going to cook outs, etc so I wanted to give you a recipe that is SO GOOD and that will carry well to a party. Of course it is a treat - I just couldn't resist. BUT I do think that parties are the perfect time to make treats because you are less likely to eat too many :) I would recommend making this treat the day before your party as, IMO, this is better the following day. I snagged this recipe from paleomg.com and my caramel didn't turn out nearly as 'caramel' is color, but I think if I had a better food processor, we'd be in business.

When I made these, I shared them with my coaches at ITF and I have confirmation that they really are as good as I say!

Ingredients:
For the crust:

• 1.5 cups pecans
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

For the caramel:

• 12-14 medjool dates, pitted and soaked in water for an hour
• 6-8 Tbsp canned coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Add pecans to food processor and blend until you get flour. Then add melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla and blend until combined into pecan butter
3. Add pecan butter to a large bowl with flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine well, then add whisked egg and mix
4. Grease and 8x8 pan with coconut oil  and add pecan crust to the pan, spreading the crust out evenly
5. Bake crust for 25-30 minutes or until done. Use the toothpick method to test for doneness (is that a word?)
6. Meanwhile, lightly clean out your food processor and add your dates. Turn the food processor on and process until dates have broken down
7. Add canned coconut milk, Tbsp by Tbsp to the dates while the food processor is running. Then add your water, salt, and vanilla
8. Process until you get caramel! Watching this happen is a beautiful thing :)
9. Once crust is done baking let it cook for 15 minutes
10. Spoon caramel over crust and use a spoon to smooth it out
11. Put in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Cut into bars and then consume!

Cinnamon Muffins

Need a tasty breakfast that you can grab and go?? Try these Cinnamon Muffins!!!

Ingredients:
Muffin Mixture -

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Topping:

• 2 Tbsp raw honey
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil 

Instructions:
Muffins:

1. Combine flours, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl
2. In a large bowl blend oil, honey, eggs and vanilla
3. Blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients and scoop 1/4 cup at a time into lined muffin cups - they will rise!
4. Spoon cinnamon topping (below) onto muffins
5. Bake muffins for 8-12 minutes at 350 degrees

 Cinnamon topping:

1. Melt coconut oil
2. Combine honey, cinnamon and melted coconut oil in a small bowl. Set aside until muffins are ready to be topped

*Not sure where my picture of this one is....I'll keep looking.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake Bites

Last weekend was Adam's birthday and we had a lot of our friends get together at Avondale Brewery to celebrate. It was a day spent with good friends, drinking good beer, eating crawfish......and BABY BITES! If you haven't had a Baby Bite before, well you are missing out. There is a bakery in Homewood, Pastry Arts, that makes bite sized cakes and they are delicious! I bought a few dozen of them to have as treats for everyone that came to party with us and I am pretty sure I ate more than my share. I wish I was joking and I wish that I had been strong enough to say no to them. But I wasn't and I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoyed every single one.! The only good thing the Baby Bites might have done for me is it got me thinking that I should make a Paleo version-ish! I've made plenty of Paleo cookies, cakes, and brownies so I knew that making bite sized cakes was possible! I decided to make a banana chocolate chip version because I have made banana chocolate chip bread before...and well, I had bananas that were really ripe and chocolate chips. Do yourself a favor and make these. They would be yummy for brunch, too! Next week I'm going to make a double chocolate chip cake bite to take to a dinner party!

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed. Think brown spots.
• 2 Tbsp almond butter
• 1 Tbsp apple butter. Ingredient check!
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups almond flour (will make approx 12)



Happy Birthday!

• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large mixing bowl add mashed bananas, almond butter, apple butter, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Combine well.
3. Once combined, add in almond flour and combine. Then add chocolate chips and incorporate into batter
4. Using a medium ice cream scoop so they are all the same size, scoop batter onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. 
5. Bake for approx 18 minutes or until the tops are golden. Let cool for a few minutes before you try to remove them from the baking sheet as they are soft.

*I used Kime's Cider Mill brand of apple butter that I found at Whole Foods. It is pretty cheap and is also really good on paleo pancakes and other paleo baked goods!

Rogan Josh

A few weeks ago I ordered some lamb from a local farmer. I was SO excited when I went to pick it up and couldn't wait to cook it. I wanted to wait until I had a "special" occasion to have it so when Adam said that he invited a friend over for dinner I knew that I had to cook it! I had recently made a homemade Rogan Josh spice blend using the following spices: ground cardamon, ground cloves, ginger, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. I used this amazing spice blend in this dish

Ingredients (remaining):

• Rogan Josh spice blend
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups water

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium high heat.
2. Sear the lamb on all sides, approx 5 minutes total
3. Saute the onions in the same skillet until translucent
4. Add the Rogan Josh spice blend to the pan and combine well
5. Pour coconut milk and water into the skillet - bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for approx 30 minutes (if you can wait that long!)

I served this dish with cauliflower pilaf, mashed sweet potatoes, grilled veggies, and cumin roasted carrots. It was a wonderful night with a good friend!

Easter Carrot Cake Cupcakes

For Easter this year my parents had all of us over for lunch. We had a big crowd of 19 people!!!! I knew that the desserts would not be something that I could eat and I also knew that I would really want a sweet treat after lunch! I decided that Carrot Cake (how festive!) would be a perfect option and browsed the web to find the perfect recipe. The week prior, I made a sample batch to make sure they turned out good. They did, but I wasn't completely sold on them. I scoured the web some more and ultimately ended up combining quite a few different ideas to come up with the best carrot cake cupcakes ever, IMO. I hope you had a wonderful Easter and were able to spend it with family and friends!

Ingredients:
Cake:

• 7 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 3 cups almond flour
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 10 medjool dates
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 4-ish Tbsp water

Icing:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 cup coconut oil

Cake Instructions:

1. In a food processor, shred carrots. Place in ziplock bag with 1 cup of maple syrup and let the carrots soak for an hour
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
3. In a mixing bowl, combine both flours, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and baking soda
4. Now, make the following date mixture - 
1. Put all dates in a microwave safe bowl. Add 3 Tbsp water and microwave for 30 seconds. Mash with a fork. Add another Tbsp water and heat for another 30 seconds. Mash some more - you are trying for a smooth consistency. Next add 2 Tbsp of maple syrup and mash again.
5. In a large mixing bowl blend eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and date mixture
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and combine well
7. Remove carrots from ziplock and drain excess syrup
8. Stir carrots into cake batter
9. Line 24 muffin tins with muffin cup liners and fill
10. Bake for approx 25-35 minutes or until the muffin passes the tooth pick test

Icing:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine coconut milk, vanilla, maple syrup and cinnamon. Whisk until evenly combined. 
2. Remove from heat and stir in coconut flour and melted coconut oil.
3. Put in an airtight container and let the icing sit in fridge overnight

Spread icing on cupcakes and top with chopped walnuts if desired.

Honey Baked Pears

I am trying I not bake as many Paleo Treats, but I still have a huge sweet tooth and LOVE dessert!! I was trying to think of a dessert I could prepare that didn't involve almond flour or dark chocolate. I had some spare pears laying around, and since fruit is natures dessert, I figured I could come up with something good!!

Ingredients:
• 2 pears
• vanilla extract
• honey
• cinnamon
• sea salt
• crushed walnuts

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2) Core and halve pears
3) Drizzle with vanilla extract and honey
4) Sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt. Top with walnuts
5) Bake for approx 20 minutes

Raspberry Upside Down Cake

This past weekend Adam and I grilled out with some good friends of ours. They were hosting us, so we decided to bring (most of) the food. My favorite thing we brought, if you can imagine, was dessert!!!! The original recipe from Civilized Caveman called for blueberries, but I could not find them anywhere! Well, that's not entirely true. Whole Foods did have them, but I thought they were too expensive. So I went to Publix to get some, and they were out. Sitting right next to where the blueberries were supposed to be, sat some bright raspberries that I couldn't take my eyes off of - so I went with them! The original recipe also said that the cooking time was 20 minutes - HA! I probably cooked my cake for 40 minutes. But it is okay - it was delicious and well worth the wait.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 pint fresh raspberries
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Pour melted coconut oil and maple syrup in cake pan
3. Put entire pint of raspberries in the pan and place in preheating oven for 5 minutes
4. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well
5. Take your cake pan out of the oven and add in your cake batter. Use a spoon to ensure an even distribution throughout the cake pan
6. Once the oven is fully preheated, place your pan in and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the cake passes the toothpick test
7. Once cool, place a plate on top of the pan and then flip it over putting the raspberries on top
8. Serve warm. This would also be amazing with some coconut milk ice cream, if you had any!

I took this picture after the cake was in the oven for 20 minutes, that is why it looks a little runny. This bad boy went back in for an additional 20.

Pumpkin "Donuts"

Pumpkin is one of my favorite foods to cook with. It transforms any boring dish into a dish that is bold in flavor. Typically in the fall I get obsessed with it and put pumpkin in everything I make, and lately I have been missing the orange goodness. I decided to make a muffin that would last for a few days and that I could send with Adam on his work trip as a snack. I wanted these "muffins" to be really moist and almost gooey like pumpkin pie. As with most baked goods these were even better the following day (IMO). Adam really liked them as well and kept calling them donuts!! So hey, I will go with it: here is the recipe for Pumpkin DONUTS! This recipe will make approx 12 donuts.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree. Make sure you don't get pumpkin pie filling. Read ingredients - there should only be one (pumpkin!)
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 3 medium eggs (or 2 large)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Nut of choice for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix pumpkin and almond butter together until well combined
3. Add honey, syrup then beat eggs in one at a time
4. Add dry ingredients to wet. Combine well.
5. Fill muffin cups (or muffin tin that is oiled) 3/4 full
6. Top with nut of choice
7. Bake for 20 minutes

Pistachio (Nut) Bark

Tonight I am cooking dinner for my parents. I am slowly trying to educate them on the Paleo lifestyle, and what better way to show them how yummy it is , than to prepare a delicious meal for them! Tonight I am making Smoky Bacon Chili, complete with the sweet potatoes, and chocolate bark for dessert. I made the bark for the first time last week and it was a huge success. I literally could have eaten it all, but luckily for my body, I shared it with ITF and Adam's work. Adam brought the leftovers back to his place and I will admit I did snag a few more pieces. To me, there is nothing better than chocolate and nuts. Whole Foods sells dark chocolate covered almonds and they are to die for! You're wallet will also die quickly due to the price, but that doesn't take away from how they taste! Then I got smart. I decided to make my own version. This is really so simple. TWO ingredients. That is it. Of course, I don't know why anyone would think that it would require more. This is the recipe for Pistachio Bark, but tonight I am making Pecan Bark, since Pecans are my dad's favorite.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pistachio's
• 12 oz Enjoy Life chocolate chips (I used the mega chunks)

Instructions:

1. Slowly melt chocolate in a double broiler. If you don't have one, just get a saucepan and add water, then stick a mixing bowl on top of it and boil. 
2. When the chocolate is fully melted, stir in pistachio's
3. Pour the chocolate-y goodness on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
4. Freeze until solid and break into chunks.
5. Eat to your hearts desire

I found, after eating on this for many days :) that I like the bark better when served cold. I would recommend keeping it in the fridge, but it is totally fine if you leave it out. 

This recipe actually makes a lot more than what is shown in this picture :)

St. Patty's Day Cookies

Happy Fun Food Friday!!! Over the past week, I have been trying to come up with a treat to make for St. Patty's Day, and there was only 1 criteria - it had to be GREEN!! I wanted to make something that was different and without food coloring (since liquid food coloring is a paleo no-no) and so I came up with these cookies. They turned out awesome!! I was so pleased with them, and proud of myself! I made these earlier in the week just to practice and see if my "experiment" would actually work - and it did!!!

 Here is the magic: Sunflower seeds contain chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) that will react with baking soda/powder and turn green, once cooled. Sure enough, the following day, the inside of my cookies were green! PERFECT! This is in no way harmful, nor does it change the taste - it is just merely a chemical reaction. This reaction can be stopped by several methods, but I wanted the green effect for my St. Patty's Day cookies!

I baked another big batch Thursday night to share with Iron Tribe, and Adam's work on Friday. This recipe makes 24, so I doubled it for the occasion.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups blanched almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp SunButter (brand name of sunflower butter)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Drizzle of honey (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda, heaping
• 1Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
• Coconut Crystals (optional for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients 

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, honey and SunButter until well combined

4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until well combined

5. Pour melted coconut oil into batter and combine

6. On a parchment lined baking sheet, drop balls of cookie dough (about 1 Tbsp in size)

7. Sprinkle with Coconut Crystals if desired
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies pass the knife test

At the last minute, I came up with a simple icing to put on some of the cookies. All you do is combine the following ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut milk, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp raw honey, 2 tbsp coconut flour. Voila!

Let the cookie cool down in order for the "magic" to take place. These reheat well in the microwave! Enjoy, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

No Bake Sticky Apple Bars

It is Friday and we all know what that means......FUN FOOD FRIDAY!!!!!!

What a week it has been! And by that, I mean, what a GREAT week it has been. It seemed that each day was a bit sweeter than the previous. I struggled in my WOD on Monday (I have no doubt it was the alcohol from the weekend before) but I worked hard and even Rx'ed it. I have felt stronger as the week progressed and even set a PR on my 5x back squats - 155 pounds!!!! After the max, I also Rx'ed the WOD (YES, that is TWICE in a week!)!  It really is amazing how a clean diet and consistent WOD's  make you stronger faster. I must give tons of credit to my coaches and fellow athletes for pushing me hard. I would not have been able to complete the WODs without them. This week I got to attend a food tasting and talk food with some really inspiring people (thanks again Chef Sean and Coach Luan!), cook some good meals, and experimented with different meats and cuisine (I was missing you, Chinese food!).

This weekend is going to follow suit as well - I am running a 5k saturday morning, eating lunch with my parents then going to the AWODS (a red-carpet awards ceremony hosted by IronTribe). On Sunday I am looking forward to church then planning my meals for the next week and cooking!!

I hope you have had a great week and have an ever greater weekend. So I will leave you with a treat that hopefully makes your weekend that much sweeter!

Ingredients:
Crust-

• 12 medjool dates, pits removed
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup Raw Honey
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut manna, melted
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

For the topping-

• 3 apples, cored and thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbsp coconut manna
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. First, make the crust. Add all ingredients for the crust to a food processor until consistency of crust is reached.
2. Press crust down in an 8x8 glass baking dish until crust is evenly distributed
3. Heat large skillet under medium heat. Add in coconut oil, then the sliced apples
4. Once the apples begin to get soft, add walnuts. Stir continuously so the apples and walnuts don't burn
5. Once apples are wilted, add honey and coconut manna along with cinnamon and salt
6. When all ingredients are incorporated, pour mixture on top of crust and press flat. Put in the fridge to harden for 30-45 minutes
7. Cut into squares and serve!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

This recipe came from the ever-amazing Juli at paleomg.com. I have said it, and I will say it again, visit her site!! You will forever thank her. 

Fun Food Friday!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!! This is a recipe I made as a treat for my trip to Indy this weekend. Its called Banana Coconut Pecan bites. So original, I know. Now, it doesn't last but for a few days because of the bananas, which wasn't an issue for me because they were practically gone before they went bad. This would also be a great dessert to bring to a dinner party or even a wedding/baby shower since they are bite sized!

Ingredients
• 3 bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut manna*
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup crushed pecans
• 1 tsp cinnamon

* coconut manna is also known as coconut cream concentrate. Same goodness. Different name.

Instructions
1) Slice bananas in 1/2 inch coins. Place in freezer for 15 minutes
2) Melt coconut manna in microwave safe dish
3) Combine shredded coconut, pecans, and cinnamon in shallow bowl
4) Take banana coins and dip in coconut manna to coat, then roll in coconut pecan mixture to cover. Place on separate dish until all bananas are finished
5) Freeze for an additional 15 mins.

These keep well in the refrigerator, but don't have to be. They were fine all day on the plane and in the hotel room.

There are so many variations you could do with this : dip the banana in chocolate then roll in pecans, use almond bark for the dip and chopped almonds, and the list goes on!

Fun Food Friday's

I know that sweets (even Paleo ones!) should be NOT consumed on a regular basis. Treats are treats and should be treated as so (see, I DO love 'treats'.), but that doesn't mean they are not wonderful indulgences. And who am I kidding, I have the biggest sweet tooth! I should really try to avoid chocolate more than I do :)

Moving on... since I do, in fact, love chocolate, and my coaches at IronTribe, I decided to make them a little 'Paleo' treat for Valentines day. You know, to show my affection. I thought for a few days on the perfect treat to make and skimmed tons of recipes. I wasn't settled on any one recipe in particular, so I decided to combine a few of their ideas, with mine and make......Reese's Cups! Or, rather, a modification of them.

They are so simple, and so addictive. These are best if made for someone else so you don't eat them ALL. If you intend on making them for your household....well, I tried to warn you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
• 1 cup almond butter (or any other nut butter, pecan would be good!)
• 1 Tbsp raw honey

You will also need mini cupcake wrappers or candy mold. The mini cupcake wrappers are so easy and less messy.

Instructions:

1. Melt chocolate in double broiler or microwave
2. Mix nut butter and honey until well combined
3. Line a muffin tin with the mini cupcake wrappers. Not necessary, but will make your life easier.
4. Pour a small amount of chocolate in the bottom of each wrapper. Just enough to cover the bottom. Freeze for 10 minutes
5. Form balls out of butter mixture and place on top of chilled chocolate in the mini cupcake wrappers. Be sure that there is chocolate visible around the edges. 
6. Pour chocolate to cover the nut butter in each mini cupcake wrapper.
7. Freeze for 10 minutes.

I like these best when served chilled, and this is now going to be my go-to dessert when I am cooking for others. Delish.