Desserts

This is in danger of being on the menu tomorrow too:

Double Chocolate Orange Torte
½ cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup blanched almond flour
¼ cup cacao powder
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
3 eggs
½ cup agave nectar
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ cup dark chocolate chips

Place ½ cup chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground to the texture of gravel
Pulse in almond flour, cacao powder and salt and process until well combined, about 10 seconds
Add eggs to food processor and pulse again, then add in agave, grapeseed oil and orange zest
Pulse all ingredients together until smooth
Remove "bowl" from food processor and stir in second ½ cup of chocolate chips using a spoon or spatula
Transfer batter into a well oiled 10 inch springform pan
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

OR, it could be this:

Accidental Mocha Mousse
½ cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon organic decaf coffee beans, ground
¼ cup hot water
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract

In a medium saucepan, melt chocolate into coconut milk over very low heat
Place ground coffee beans in a melita filter and pour ¼ cup hot water over them
Stir coffee into chocolate mixture, discarding grounds
Stir in agave, then vanilla and almond extracts
Spoon mousse into small individual ramekins
Refrigerate 2-3 hours, until firm

Sweet Potato Salad With Lime Pickle and Cashews

Going to try making this tomorrow:
           
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces                 
6 tablespoons lime pickle mayonnaise                   
2 scallions, thinly sliced                   
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus whole cilantro leaves for garnish                   
1/2 cup chopped roasted, salted cashews.                   

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, scallions and cilantro. Add the sweet potatoes and cashews and gently stir to mix. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Marie's salmon recipe

Marie made this when I was at home and it was wonderful. However, it's a prime example of the challenges of trying to make recipes in different countries because finding stem ginger here is definitely a challenge!!!

I tweaked the recipe the other day and it was more like Marie's and the best yet. I took 1/4 cup soy, 1/4 cup syrup from the stem ginger, juice & rind of 2 limes, and 2 tbsp Hoisin sauce. I cooked it up until the sauce was reduced to a syrup and added 3 of the ginger balls cut into small pieces. I poured over the salmon and cooked at 350 for 30 mins

I made it with grilled baby zucchini and baby broccoli. Everyone loves it

Lunch at CGCH

I took Ben to the orthodontist and we ate lunch at Cardinal Glennon. I always say they have the best grilled cheese in the World. Ben has had it several times, but Maggie has only had it once before. Since it was one of her favourites, I thought she'd be pretty excited!!

I had grilled cheese and onion rings.

I have to say that it wasn't anything like as yummy as I remember it, andf the guilt was greater than the pleasure. Guess I am really getting paleo-hooked!!!

Brussels recipe-unexpected find

I found these shredded brussels at Trader Joe's at the weekend, I thought they would make a great side dish.  After I got them home, imagine my surprise when I found that the suggested recipe on the back was absolutely paleo!!!
I fried 3 rashers of bacon & then added the brussels to the pan.  I cooked them in the bacon for about 5 mins, then added salt & pepper.  Then, I added 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar & 1/4 cup of water and steamed for another 5 mins.  They were fantastic

Whole 30. Day 21

Well, I'm 3 weeks into this second attempt but I have to say that I have not been able to stick to the Whole30 plan at all.  The program (and even the paleo diet) is relatively easy to stick to for about 85% of the time.  Every day, there's at least one thing that is hard to resist.  I know that if I was doing this program with the folks that were doing it before, I would resist all the temptations.  Doing it on my own (or virtually on my own) is next to impossible.  At least it's sustainable when you aren't as strict, but I have tried to do the 30 days twice & have failed.  I guess I just need to wait until Leeny does the program again.  Now I know why there were other people that had done the program previously that had signed up again and still made a difference.  I am doing OK, but I had ice cream on Saturday and a caramel macchiato on Sunday this weekend.  Since I eat pretty much the same thing every day, it's not really worth doing a daily record any more, especially since I am not sticking to the program, so I'm going to quit at day 21.  I'm going to keep writing a journal every day to make me aware of what I am eating, where I go wrong & where I go right....

I'm still doing much better than I was.  I have lost 3lbs since I last weighed myself.  I have lost 16lbs since I started Leeny's program back in January.  I have also started doing Crossfit classes twice a week (hopefully I can keep moving my schedule around enough to do that) and I need to get back to walking/running more. I did a 5K in Forest Park yesterday with a couple of friends, but we walked most of it.

Muffin Wars!!!!

I made the honey muffins yesterday and almond-pumpkin today.   These are the honey muffins:

These are the almond-pumpkin

Both are really good. The honey are sweeter (of course) but the pumpkin have a nice texture. I need to try adding some flavour to the pumpkin ones (maybe cinnamon and nutmeg) to improve on them. Needless to say, we are probably eating too many of them!!!!

Almond Pumpkin muffins

Paleo Almond Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup almond flour (just ground almonds)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 mashed banana
2 tbsp honey
4 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond butter
Optional:
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Olive oil as needed to grease the pan
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Beat eggs. Add to the eggs all other wet ingredients except olive oil. No need for a mixer just stir till combined. In a separate bowl mix together the almond flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the wet and dry ingredients together then add the raisins, walnuts and coconut. Stir. Grease muffin tin with olive oil (I poured a little in each muffin hole and that worked well) Divide evenly into muffin pan. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Store in the refrigerator for longer lasting muffins

Honey Muffins

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 6 Tbsp Honey
• 4 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 4 Tbsp Coconut Milk
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans(optional)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F
2. Mix together your eggs, honey, coconut oil, coconut milk, salt and vanilla
3. Sift together your baking powder and coconut flour and then combine with your wet ingredients
4. Mix your batter well and then fold in your chopped Pecans if you are using them
5. If not, divide your batter into 12 Muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes

Whole 30. Day 19

Pretty good day.  Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast, in two stages, either side of my Crossfit class.  I seemed to skip lunch, not sure how that happened.  We had the asian beef lettuce wraps for dinner

Asian ground beef

One of our favourites. We don't usually eat butter lettuce, but I always get it to eat with this....

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1710952680/asian-ground-beef-mushroom-and-broccoli-slaw-lettuce

Paleo bars

These are really good.  Sam said they are a great post-workout snack....

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Dates, pitted
• 1/2 Cup Raw Macadamia Nuts
• 1/2 Cup Dried Apples
• 1/4 Cup Raw Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp Cinnamon

Process:

1. Place your dates, macadamia nuts, apples, and almonds in a food processor or really strong blender. I have a Ninja 1100 and it makes short work of this one
2. Pulse until your dates, macadamia nuts, and almonds are in small chunks and transfer to a mixing bowl
3. Add in all remaining ingredients. Using your hands mix well to ensure an even coating of everything
4. Once mixed, using parchment paper, flatten out your mixture to the size of bars your want or you can use individual ziploc bags and form them inside the bag
5. Place in refrigerator and let cool, then enjoy

Whole 30. Day 18

Pretty good day.  Had my usual for breakfast and dinner.  I had some chicken for dinner and walked in Forest Park.

Chicken, chicken, chicken

I rushed in from work today and made three chicken things in quick succession.  Maggie has been after a chicken clafouti for a while and I finally made one for her.   I melted 6 tbsp butter, whisked in 1 cup of coconut milk and 6 eggs, added some curry powder and salt and put in a pyrex dish.  Then I added the breast from a Sam's Club cooked chicken and baked at 400F for 45 mins

We ate through the chicken chunks in next to no time this week, so I had to make more.  I just cook in butter with salt and lemon pepper until all the moisture is gone.....

I took the carcass from the chicken and made some stock.  Then I added leeks, peas, the chicken meat and some wide egg noodles.  DEFINITELY not paleo, but the kids absolutely love it and they need something bad every now and then.....

Whole 30. Day 17

Yeah, went to Cici's with the Girl Scouts last night and had pizza for the first time this year!!!  Just couldn't resist any longer.....
Let's say this is a dark day in the Whole30 program.

Whole 30. Day 16

Pretty good day.  Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast, apple for snack in the morning and a spinach salad for lunch.  I made the roast beef for dinner and made some mashed sweet potatoes to go with it.  Forgot the pine nuts though!!!

Whole 30. Day 15

Well, I have made it through half of my 30 days.  Don't really think I have done any better than when I started before, but at least I have someone that I can swap stories with.  I am still doing pretty well & not sure I can do any better if I am going to try to sustain this.  I had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast and soup for lunch. I went out to dinner and had a burger (no bun) & didn't eat the fries.  I did have some wine & ice cream for dessert, so not perfect. Oh well....

Whole 30. Day 14

Well, it was Mothers Day today, so I decided that I should get a caramel macchiato to celebrate-it's that easy to start slipping again!!  Still, I avoided going to First Watch for breakfast like we usually do, so I am probably still ahead.  I made a couple of new recipes today.  We had honey muffins and they were the first recipe that has come out tasting like the real deal and not a paleo substitute.  I made 12 of them and we ate the better part of them.  I also made some apple & date caveman bars-didn't think I liked dates but I am getting a taste for them.  We went to Forest Park in the evening and had a picnic-chicken, strawberries, grapes and plantain chips, so not too bad.  I made another batch of fudge balls when I got home, but haven't eaten any of them yet!!!

Honey muffins

Made these this morning.  I doubled the quantities and made 12 of them.  You have to try them, they are amazing and just like regular muffins.  They won't make it through the day.....
Sam quote :  How can these be paleo?

Whole 30. Day 13

Much better day today.  Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast and tomato-basil soup for lunch before we did the grocery store run.  I even drove through Starbucks to get the kids something to eat and didn't get coffee.  We had chicken fried rice for dinner made with cauliflower.  It's one of Sam's favourites.  It doesn't look too exciting, but it tastes good.

Whole 30. Day 12

OK, fell off the wagon today.  We had the Spring Picnic at school and it warranted a caramel macchiato from Starbucks and then we went to Ami's for pizza afterwards.  I'm not sure that I can come up with some temptation that I resisted, so I'll slink quietly away.....

Whole 30. Day 11

Usual fare throughout the day.  No-oat oatmeal & strawberries for breakfast.  Tomato-basil soup and chicken for lunch.  Made chicken, bacon & avocado salad for dinner.  Served it on spinach for Sam and me.  I used some cherry balsamic vinegar from Vom Fass to make the dressing.  It was really good.  Since it was a gift, I haven't been in the store, but I really need to go.

Chocolate fudge balls

I'm going to try this recipe with the dates that I bought.  We had these at Leeny's party when I did the Whole30 with her.  They were delicious.  They turned out very well and were easy to make.  Yummy!!!!

Whole 30. Days 9 &10

Not much to report really.  Been eating basically the same thing as usual.  We did go to the Boat House for dinner last night and I had the BBQ chicken salad without the tortilla strips.  I would have usually had the fish & chips.  I have resisted several temptations in the last couple of days so I think I am doing fine....

Whole 30. Day 8

Went to the 6am Crossfit class this morning, so ate a little no-oat oatmeal to give me some energy.  I ate my regular portion around lunch time today, so didn't eat lunch.  Had an apple, grapes and plantain chips as snacks.  We had chicken tikka masala for dinner, truly yummy.

I was happy to find out that Dave had a potato yesterday and has been drinking wine, so I don't feel as guilty about the pizza yesterday!!!!

Whole 30. Day 7

Sam came home from Arkansas yesterday.  We ate pizza for dinner.  Definitely NOT paleo!!!!  Back to it tomorrow.....

Whole 30. Day 6

I knew the day would be difficult-weekend & Sam out of town.  Still, I did pretty well and much better than I would have done if I hadn't been on the challenge with Dave.  I made no-oat oatmeal and tomato-basil soup first thing in the morning and so I had the no-oat for breakfast and soup for lunch.  I had a little no-oat for dinner.
This is what I avoided-the kids had bagels for lunch and Penn Station for dinner.  Since Maggie ate mac & cheese for breakfast, she was a total carb girl.  I have to admit I'm a little jealous!!!

It's taking over......

When we walked out of Trader Joe's today, Ben says "hey Mom, look at that"!!!!  We had to take a photo.....

Whole 30. Day 5

I have eaten a lot of no-oat oatmeal with strawberries today!!!!  I have total body ache from Crossfit too.  Not much else to report

Whole 30. Day4

Had no-oat oatmeal for breakfast.  Yes, I eat it every day, but honestly I just can't get enough of it!!!  We had lunch at South City Diner and I had chicken caesar salad and a latte-bit of a cheat!!  Then, we went to Eckerts and picked 15 lbs of strawberries.  They were selling flats at buy one, get one free and we got two of them as they were just bringing them in from the field.  So, we have loads of strawberries and dinner was pretty much that.  I did go to Crossfit class this morning, I loved it

Whole 30. Day 3

Started the day off with no-oat oatmeal as usual.  I had several meetings today, so didn't get to eat my apple mid-morning.  I ate chicken chunks for lunch during a  seminar and then ate the plantain chips from Ben's lunch when we got home.  We had stuffed pork tenderloin, asparagus and sweet potatoes for dinner.

Whole 30 Day 2

So, I can tell I am doing better already.  I had my no-oat oatmeal for breakfast.  I was doing a long experiment today, so didn't eat lunch until late.  The no-oat can keep hunger from your door for quite a long time.  I had Tom Ka soup for lunch-basically coconut milk, chicken and mushrooms with some spices.  I did break down and eat some banana chips when I was making lunches for tomorrow, they have some cane syrup added to them-not Whole 30!!  I was still full from lunch so just ate some chicken chunks for dinner.