Paleo "goat cheese"

For Nut Cheese:

1/2 c. raw cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours, drained
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 c. water
1 Tb coconut oil
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
pinch of salt
In a food processor, combine all ingredients together.

For Basil Pesto:

1 c. basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/3 c. pine nuts
olive oil
1 tsp salt

1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes
extra pine nuts to top with

Take a small glass ramekin and line with plastic wrap.
In a high-speed blender, blend all of the nut cheese ingredients until smooth. Place part of the mixture into lined ramekin.
Add pesto layer on top. Top with sun-dried tomatoes. Layer with remaining cheese.
Refrigerate for several hours until set. You can also freeze it.
Line a small appetizer plate with olive oil and dust with dried basil. Set 1 cheese block onto place, take off plastic wrap carefully, drizzle with oil and herbs, and top with pine nuts.
Pairs perfectly with rice crackers.

Coconut pancakes

Ingredients
6 dates, pitted
3 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup coconut flour
pinch of baking soda
pinch of salt

Directions
Soak the dates in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Puree to make a smooth, slightly liquid paste. Add water as needed.
In a bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk the eggs.
Add in the coconut oil, date paste, and vanilla. Whisk well.
Whisk in the coconut milk.
Fold the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture. Mix well, but not so much that it’s over-blended.
Add coconut oil  to a hot skillet and portion out the pancake batter.

Snowball series #4

The 4th run in the Snowball Series was this morning round Creve Coeur lake.  I made pretty good time (maybe my fastest run yet) but it was nice and flat, so I should run faster.  I had to run on my own because Sam was working today.  The weather was cold, but still good for running.  I wore exactly the right amount of clothes.  Also ran in my new shoes.
I haven't ever been out there, seems like a great place to run, I need to go more often.  Drove back to take a picture of the frozen waterfall

First run of 2016

We ran the 5 mile Forest Park run in the Snowball Series yesterday morning.  It was pretty cold when we got started, but the sun was out and it turned out to be really nice.  Sam waited for me, so his time is much slower than would be normally.  I am now #17 out of 48 in the series ranking.  Not bad at all since I am so slow these days!!!!

Paleo Cauliflower au Gratin

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
1 Tbs minced garlic
a scant ½ cup of minced shallots (This was 2 large shallots for me)
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup of coconut cream (I like the Savoy brand)
½ cup of organic chicken stock (make sure there is no sugar in the ingredient list)
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of pepper
¼ tsp of ground nutmeg
2 tsp coconut flour (I like the Nutiva brand)
4-5 strips of nitrate-free bacon, crumbled
optional-1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese (skip to make strictly Paleo)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the cauliflower head into smaller cauliflower florets.
Fill a big pot of water, put a dash of salt it in, and heat over high heat until the water boils. Put the cauliflower florets into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
Put 2 tsp of olive oil into a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Put the minced shallots and garlic into the pan, mix into the olive oil with a spatula, and cook for 4 minutes.
Add the coconut cream, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg to the pan.
Whisk the coconut flour into the mixture.
Increase the heat to medium/high heat and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, while mixing often. Remove from heat and set the saute pan aside.
Cover a plate in paper towels, put 4-5 strips of bacon onto the paper towels, and cover with another paper towel. Cook the bacon in the microwave for 4 minutes. The bacon should be cooked to the point where it crumbles easily.
Crumble the bacon and put into the white sauce. Put the cauliflower into the sauce, mix with a spatula and then pour everything into an 8 X 8 inch pan.
Put the pan into the oven, and cook the cauliflower for 20 minutes.
Then, set the oven to broil.
If you are adding goat cheese, remove the cauliflower from the oven and top with the crumbled goat cheese.
Then broil the cauliflower (with or without goat cheese) for 5 minutes. Make sure to check on it regularly to make sure it doesn't burn.
Allow the cauliflower to cool for a bit, serve, and Enjoy!

Reindeer Run 2015

The second run of the Snowball Series was at Tower Grove Park this morning.  Even though my legs haven't fully recovered from last Sunday, I still did pretty well.

My first 15K-Hot Chocolate 2015

I ran the hot chocolate run yesterday morning.  First time I have run more than 5 miles.  It was much better than I thought it would be, even with the rain....
My goal was to be under 2 hours and ideally under 12 minutes per mile, and I made it, so I was very happy!!!