Angie's Suburban Oasis

Valentine's Day Chocolate Covered Cherries

2012-02-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

What would Valentine's Day be without a little chocolate? In my house growing up we would always get one of those heart shaped chocolate sampler boxes on Valentines day from one family member or another. But now, I want the really good chocolate rather than the cheap stuff in those heart shaped boxes from the grocery store. This year I decided to make dark chocolate covered Bing Cherries in the same manner that I made peanut butter cups for Christmas.

Dark Chocolate Covered Bing Cherries
about a dozen dried Bing Cherries From Trader Joe's
2 Trader Joe's 72% Dark Chocolate candy bars broken into bits

Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for 30 second intervals stirring between each interval until chocolate is melted. Using a candy mold, place a bit of melted dark chocolate in each cup, placed a dried Bing Cherry inside then cover them with more dark chocolate. Pop them in the fridge to harden, then voila, you have Chocolate Covered Cherries for Valentine's Day! Enjoy.

Coconut Flour Pancakes

2012-02-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

I love my Almond Flour Pancake recipe. But when Sunday morning arrived, I went to the pantry to gather my ingredients to make pancakes only to find I was out of Almond Flour! What do you make pancakes from when you're out of almond flour, you ask? Why, Coconut flour of course!

Now, coconut flour is an entirely different beast from Almond Flour or regular wheat flour, for that matter. Coconut flour is very thirsty and requires a large amount of liquid to have the right consistency and not be too dry. But once you understand the liquid to dry ratio you need, coconut flour can be a very tasty and cost effective flour for Paleo/Primal baking.

What are the benefits of coconut flour? Well, I'm glad you asked!

According to a study published in the December 2006 issue of Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, "adding coconut flour to your food intake can significantly reduce your cholesterol levels. It can also reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. "

In addition, a report from the Coconut Research Center states that coconut flour contains more protein per serving than other leading flours, such as white, rye or cornmeal. It contains just as much protein as wheat flour, even though it doesn't contain the gluten protein.

Given all of that gushing over the healthy benefits of coconut flour, you may be wondering how these coconut flour pancakes taste. They were very tasty! Both of the kids cleaned their plates and asked for more. Will I make these again? I will most definitely make coconut flour pancakes again. Both coconut and almond pancakes are very yummy and contain lots of healthy ingredients. I think which recipe I choose to make will just depend on which flavor I'm in the mood for on Sunday morning. Enjoy!

Coconut flour pancakes with shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips

Coconut Flour Pancakes
1/2 C Coconut flour
6 Eggs
1 14oz can coconut milk
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 T vanilla
1 banana (could use any purree here like pumpkin, sweet potato, apple sauce, etc.)

Combine all ingredients in a blender, mixing until well blended. Add water by the Tablespoon if needed to blend completely. Heat a griddle to 300F. Pour batter from blender onto griddle forming 4 inch pancakes (pancakes much bigger than that will be hard to flip). Add any mix-ins such as shredded coconut, dark chocolate chips, chopped nuts at this time. Once bubbles form in the batter then break and the edges look dry, flip pancakes. Serve warm with pure maple syrup and fruit or the toppings of your choice!

Paleo/Primal Scones

2012-02-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday we have a family breakfast together that is a little more special that those of the rest of the week. This morning I decided to make some Scones. I started with a biscuit recipe then altered it to make it Paleo and to make it more scone-like. The result was a bit crumbly like a scone should be but very flavorful and yummy topped with jam and coconut cream. The girl ate 3 of them! Enjoy!

Paleo/Primal Scones
1/2 C coconut flour
3 C Almond flour
1/2 C melted coconut oil
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 T vanilla
4 eggs - brought to room temperature
1/4 C honey
1/2 C coconut milk - room temperature

Mix coconut flour with melted coconut oil. Let this sit for about 5 minutes so the coconut flour can soak up the oil. Mix all other ingredients into coconut oil/flour mixture making sure that all ingredients are room temperature or your mixture will be very stiff and hard to mix.

Preheat oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper. With your hands (yes you're going to get messy, but that's ok!) take a small hanfull of dough and roll into a ball. Place this on the lined cookie sheet and gently press into a flat disc about 3 inches in diameter and about an inch thick. Place about 6 scones on each cookie sheet then bake for about 20-25 minutes until tops start to get browned. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes to let them firm up a bit before handling. Top with anything you like! The kids ate theirs with jam and coconut cream while I ate mine with sliced banana and coconut cream. Yum!

Imags From Around My Yard

2012-02-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

It was a bright sunny day yesterday! Yay! Since we don't get too many of those in the winter here in the Pacific Northwest, I took my camera outside to see what I could see. Everything looks different when the sun is shining, and sometimes that makes it more difficult to get the photo. Luckily I'm taking a photography class later this weekend, so hopefully I'll learn how to get the shots in any lighting situation. Check back in the next few weeks to see how my photography skills have progressed. :)

In the mean time, take a look at what I saw in the bright sunny PNW afternoon in my yard.

Letting My Hair Down

2012-01-28T16:34:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, I've been growing my hair out for a couple of years. My hair grows fairly quickly and it's quite thick. So I thought it would be a great idea to donate my hair to a cause that would turn it into a wig for someone who had lost their hair due to illness or accident. My friend Rachel suggested a charity called Wigs for Kids, which creates custom cranial prosthesis for children at no cost to the child's family. I couldn't think of a better use for my hair than to give it to a child! So off I went to get my hair cut.

Each wig costs about $1800 in labor and materials to make, not including the hair. I'd like to send as much of that along with my hair donation as possible and need your help to reach that goal. If you are local to me and want to donate, you can give me a check for your donation amount made out to Wigs for Kids. Or if you would like to donate by credit card, I've set up a fundraising page at FirstGiving.com to raise that money and send it directly to Wigs For Kids. Can you help me reach my fundraising goal of $1800? Thanks!

Eating Paleo on a Budget

2012-01-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

Who out there is convinced that it's too expensive to eat Paleo? Go ahead raise those hands; I know you're out there. I'll admit to you that eating meat is more expensive that eating Wonder Bread. But when you add up the prices per ounce of all of that over packaged food you've eaten in the past compared to the nutrition contained within, you may find that what you were eating wasn't really so inexpensive after all. There's a very big push in the Paleo community to only eat pastured-grass-fed-organic-hormone-free meat, eggs, etc. but that can also get very expensive very quickly. And although that meat is better for your body and better for the environment, is it really a must-have or a nice-to-have? What it really comes down to is this: Is it better to eat the Standard American Diet or a Paleo Diet made of commercial meat/eggs and frozen veggies/fruit? I belive the better healthier choice by far is any version of a Paleo/Primal Diet! Frozen veggies are ok! Commercial meat is better than a bagel! So here are some things I do in my house to help keep costs down while eating as well as I can.

1. Plant a garden! Leafy greens are easy to grow and grow in the early spring, late fall and will even grow in your house in the winter with the help of a grow light. Buy a packet of lettuce, chard, kale or spinach seeds, a bag of potting mix and use some plastic containers you probably already have in your garage. One package of seeds will grow hundreds of heads of greens. If you have outdoor space, plant a bigger garden with some squash, cukes, green beans and cabbage. All are easy to grow and product copious amounts of veggies!

2. Shop the sales and stock up! When you see good meat on sale, buy as much as you can, divide it into reasonable portions and freeze it until you need it. If you can buy enough, it may last you until the next sale. When frozen veggies are on sale, buy a lot!

3. Buy meat in bulk if you can! I buy my grass-fed beef from a local rancher on the hoof. I will buy 1/2 a cow at a time and share the cost with friends. We all get a great price and healthy meat. Buying from a rancher also gives you the option for healthy organ meats that they sometimes throw in free of charge.

4. Buy veggies and fruits in bulk at the end of the season! Some farmers markets and local farms will lower the prices on produce at the end of the season. You may be able to get many pounds of produce at a reduced price for canning, saucing or freezing.

5. Keep a few chickens in the backyard! Keeping a few backyard laying hens can be a good way to ensure that the eggs you eat are as healthy as they can be. And when the hens get too old to lay, you can eat them as stewing hens knowing that the meat is also healthy.

Here are a few more articles on how to eat healthy food at reasonable prices.

Robb Wolf: Paleo isn't expensive

Paleo on a Budget

Mark's Daily Apple: Eating Well on a Budget

It's My Birthday!

2012-01-16T22:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday! For the last few years my husband and kids have made and decorated a birthday cake for me on my special day. This year I requested a Paleo birthday cake. I was considering a carrot cake, as I LOVE carrot cake, but I thought the kids would not really want to share carrot cake with me. And I wasn't looking for food battles on my birthday. So I opted for dark chocolate, which is a winner with the whole family. This cake recipe was adapted from The Food Lovers Primal Palate and was perfect. The cake is made with coconut flour, and the icing is made with coconut oil, so it definitely has a coconut flavor, which I love. Then the kids decorated it with dark chocolate chips and candy sprinkles (I ate the chips, they ate the sprinkles. ) To top it all off, we got the first significant snow of the season yesterday, just for me! :)

Dark Chocolate Cake with Icing
Cake Ingredients:

10 eggs
1/2 C honey
1/2 C maple syrup
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t salt
1 T vanilla extract
1 C coconut oil - melted
3/4 C coconut flour, sifted
1 t baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325.
In small bowl combine coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl blend with a hand mixer combine eggs, coconut oil, honey, syrup, and vanilla.
Add dry ingredients to wet and continue to blend.
Grease two 9" round baking pans.
Pour batter into (2) 9" round baking pans. Divide evenly.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Paleo Chocolate Icing
Icing Ingredients:

3/4 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C Dark Chocolate chips
1/2 C coconut oil

Icing Process:

In a double boiler over very low heat, melt chocolate chips and mix with oil.
Cool in freezer about 15 min or until mixture seems to be not as liquid.
Blend with a hand mixer until fluffy

Berry Smoothie/Pudding

2012-01-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

The other day I felt like making myself a smoothie for lunch. So I got out the frozen berry mix, some coconut milk and some almond butter, mixed it up in the blender, then realized it wasn't quite sweet enough for me. So I added some dried plums to the blender and pureed it again. The result was just the right flavor but it was very thick...too thick to pour into a glass and drink. So I put it into a bowl and ate it with a spoon. I suppose you could add more coconut milk or water to make it more of a smoothie consistency, but I liked the pudding texture of it. Made me feel like I was eating dessert. The kids were split on whether it was a hit or not. The Girl love it and asked for more, but The Boy wasn't quite sure and gave his bowl to The Girl to finish after eating a couple of bites. Eh, 50% isn't so bad! :) And with only one of the kids eating it when I make it, that means there's more left over for me.

Berry Smoothie/Pudding
1.5 C Frozen Berries (mine had blue, black and raspberries)
3 T Almond Butter
1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk
10 Dried Plums

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Taming the Office Mess

2012-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Angie, and I have a messy office. I'm pretty good about keeping the rest of the house (except the kids' playroom) fairly neat and tidy, but my office is always a mess. I'm not a fan of clutter and feel like my brain gets cluttered when my house is cluttered, but up until now I've not been able to figure out a way to tame the office mess.

Yesterday I got a bee in my bonnet and headed to Target for some de-cluttering supplies. Back at home with shelving in hand, I rearranged my office, threw out a lot of stuff I just don't need anymore and hid the clutter in these neat little fabric cubes. I dug out a couple of decorative baskets and buckets I had holding other junk and re-purposed them as office junk holders. :) One fabric bin is still empty, so I've got some expansion possibilities if more office junk appears. I think it turned out quite nice...and I still know where everything is!

Shelving cost: $19.99 for shelving unit + $7 each for the fabric bins = $48

Before

(actually about 1/4 of the way through. I'd already removed the non-working computer from the corner and moved my sewing machine and chair out of the way)

After

Beef and Cabbage Crockpot Stew

2012-01-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

This week I received an eggplant in my veggie box. I have no idea how to cook an eggplant. But on that same day I noticed a recipe on the Primal Recipe Archive for Ethiopian Stew that included eggplant. I didn't have most of the ingredients for that stew, but it sparked the idea of making a stew with that eggplant and other ingredients I had on hand. As it turned out, the eggplant didn't play a starring role in the stew and you could probably leave it out entirely without noticing. But since it was the ingredient that inspired the entire meal, I thought it deserved a mention. The stew, however, ended up tasting quite hearty and will make a nice warm-up dinner several nights this week.

Beef and Cabbage Crock pot Stew
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 large eggplant peeled and cubed
1 large onion diced
3-4 carrots sliced
1 small head of cabbage (I used red cabbage) chopped
4 C chicken stock or other stock (veggie, beef, chicken, venison, etc. are all good choices)
3 C Water
1 can or tetrapak diced tomatoes
1 T minced garlic
1 t Turmeric
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
1/4 C chopped fresh chives
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t cumin
2 t salt to taste
1 t black pepper to taste

In a medium skillet (I prefer cast iron), brown ground beef then put it in a crock pot. Brown diced onions then add to crock pot with meat. To the crock pot, add the peeled and cubed eggplant, sliced carrots, chopped cabbage, tomatoes, stock, water, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger. Turn crock pot to high and cook for about 4 hours (6-8 hours on low). About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the basil, chives, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper to stew. Continue cooking on low for an additional 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

A week of Paleo/Primal Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners and Snacks

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

OK, I really don't like making meal plans. I can't imagine what I might want to make throughout the week while sitting on my couch on Sunday afternoon. I have a freezer stocked with meat and get a veggie box delivered on Thursday. Sometimes they substitute different items in my box; so I don't know what will be in it for certain until it arrives. That makes the meal planning a little hard. But really those are all just excuses because ultimately I don't make meal plans because that's just not the way I work. It's counter to my personality, I think. BUT, I can make a retroactive meal plan; I can tell you what I ate LAST week rather than what I plan to eat NEXT week. That way you can get an idea of what a week of Paleo/Primal eating might look like if you're having a problem coming up with ideas. Keep in mind that I eat Primal, so there are some dairy items thrown in here. If you don't eat dairy, just omit those. Here ya go!

Week of Breakfasts
Saturday: Paleo/Primal Pancakes (make extra for eating throughout the week, Freezes well)
Sunday: Paleo/Primal Porridge (make extra for eating throughout the week)
Monday: Banana, 3 Eggs with cottage cheese
Tuesday: Orange, Paleo Porridge
Wednesday: Grapefruit, Breakfast sausage
Thursday: Pear, 2 primal pancakes without toppings
Friday: Smoothie, 3 eggs

Week of Lunches
Monday: leftover Beef Tarragon Soup from dinner
Tuesday: Natural sausage, bottled sauerkraut
Wednesday: leftover Spaghetti squash Bolognese from dinner
Thursday: 3 egg omelet with sauteed greens and sun dried tomatoes
Friday: Lunch meat, cheese, mustard wrapped rolled up in lettuce or chard
Saturday: Eat out (most salads without dressing or lettuce wrapped burgers are good choices)
Sunday: Leftovers from eating out Saturday and from the week's dinners.

Week of Dinners
Saturday: Pork Shoulder with Spinach and Onions with Cauliflower Rice
Sunday: Beef Tarragon Soup
Monday: Salmon Fillet, Sweet Potato Fries, Steamed Broccoli
Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash Bolognese, Salad with homemade vinaigrette
Wednesday: Balsamic Chicken and Onions, Salad
Thursday: Braised Beef, Sweet Potatoes with Chive Butter, Salad
Friday: Seafood Skillet, Salad

Other Lunch or Dinner choices:
Natural Sausage with browned peppers and onions, salad
Chicken soup
Baked Talapia, sesame oil broccoli and mushrooms, sesame cucumbers
Baked Chicken Legs, sauteed greens and onions, Steamed Sweet Potatoes or fries
Jambalaya, Salad
Butternut Squash Soup

Snacks:
Pear/other fruit slices wrapped with prosciutto
Nut and raisin mix
Beef Jerkey Pear /apple slices dipped in almond butter
Veggies with guacamole - baby carrots, cuke slices, broccoli

Update on the Homemade Angry Birds game

2011-12-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

The Angry Birds game I made for the kids for Christmas was a big hit! We've built towers and walls to hide our piggies in, and the kids created their own version of the the slingshot to shoot the birds. Very fun game!

Paleo/Primal Christmas Morning Cinnamon "Rolls"

2011-12-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

For breakfast on Christmas morning Hubby makes his traditional cinnamon rolls. They are so good, but I'm sure the level of sweetness will just be too much for me this year and I may not feel great after eating all of that wheat-based pastry. So while he was making his recipe for him and the kids, I made a version of a cinnamon "roll" muffin that will be perfect for me and anyone else who wants to share with me. Not that it needs it, but I made a coconut cream frosting to go on top as well. I think they turned out very cinnamon-y and will be a good substitute for the traditional Christmas morning Cinnamon Roll. Give them a try and see what you think.

Christmas Morning Cinnamon "Rolls" with Maple Coconut Frosting
Muffins:
1/2 C coconut flour
1 C almond meal
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
3 T cinnamon (yes, that's Tablespoons!)
3/4 C Pumpkin puree or Apple sauce (I used pumpkin this time)
3/4 C Maple Syrup
4 Eggs
1/2 C coconut oil - melted
1 T vanilla

Frosting:
14 oz can coconut milk
2 T maple syrup

Bring all ingredients to room temperature! Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Then mix wet with dry. Fill lined muffin tins with batter and bake for about 20 minutes or until muffins are firm on top.

For frosting, beat coconut cream from a can of coconut milk and maple syrup until it thickens a bit. Spoon frosting over cooled "rolls".

Paleo/Primal Squash Soup

2011-12-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

My veggie box this week came with a butternut squash and a recipe for butternut squash soup. That sounded pretty good; so I decided to give it a try with a few changes to make it Paleo/Primal. I also had some mini pumpkins that had been sitting around as decorations since Thanksgiving and some rutabaga I'd cubed and frozen during the summer. I decided to throw all of that in to bulk up the soup a bit. The result was really good! I can see this being a great starter for a nice dinner or dinner all by itself!

Paleo/Primal Squash Soup
1 butternut squash (or other squash of choice)
1 smallish pumpkin or several mini pumpkins (or other squash of choice)
2-3 C peeled and cubed rutabaga
4 C chicken stock
1 large onion chopped
2 T butter or coconut oil
1/2 t Thyme
1/2 t chili powder
1 t turmeric
1/2 t garlic powder
2 t salt or to taste
black pepper to taste
14 oz can coconut milk

Cut pumpkin and squash in half and remove seeds and strings with a spoon. Place cut side down on cookie sheet and roast at 350F for about 30 minutes or until knife easily pierces the skin. Remove all flesh from skin with a spoon and set aside.

In a dutch oven brown onion in butter or oil until tender. Add cubed rutabaga, spices and chicken stock. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until rutabaga is tender. Add pumpkin and squash flesh to dutch oven, add coconut milk as well. With a stick blender (immersion blender) blend soup until it is smooth. (Alternatively, you can put small batches of the soup into a blender to puree, but be sure to hold the top on as hot soup will push the lid off and make a big mess of your kitchen.). Add black pepper to taste and garnish. Enjoy!

Collard Greens with Bacon

2011-12-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

Greens taste good! Bacon tastes good! Put them together and you get something exceptional. You can use any type of greens in this recipe like chard, kale, or mustard, but I had some Collard greens in my veggie box this week that looked really nice. The mixture of the salty bacon with the greens that crave the salt is a perfect combination. With only 2 ingredients, this dish is an example of how sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.

Collard Greens with Bacon
About 1/2 lb of bacon cut into 1 inch square pieces
1 large bunch of greens (collard, chard, kale, mustard)

Directions:
In a cast iron skillet cook bacon until crisp then drain on a paper towel. Pour about 2/3 of the bacon grease from the skillet (save for another day). Remove any hard stems from greens then cut into 2 inch pieces. Put the greens into the skillet with remaining hot bacon grease. Toss to coat with grease then cover and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until greens are wilted. Mix crumbled bacon in with the greens and serve warm.

Almond Butter Cups Candy

2011-12-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

Repost of an entry I wrote on Northwest Cavegirls

In a past life (before Paleo) I loved Peanut butter cups. Every Halloween I’d dig through the kids trick-or-treat bag looking for them. But now I can’t eat them. They’re just too sweet for me. So I thought I’d try to make a Paleo version that wasn’t so sweet but still had that familiar yummy taste I’ve always loved. I shared these with some friends last night and they were a big hit. I hope you enjoy them, too!

Almond Butter Cups Candy
About 1/2 C dark chocolate (you can use chips, or break up some dark chocolate bars. I used TJ's)
about 1/4 C Almond butter (I used Costco Almond Butter)
Candy mold for peanut butter cups (or you can use a mini muffin tin with liners)

Directions:
Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals stirring after each 30 seconds. When chocolate is melted, pour or use a spoon to scoop a small amount into the bottom of each cup mold. Tap the mold to settle the chocolate. Using another spoon, drop a small scoop of almond butter on top of each chocolate base. Then fill the cups the rest of the way up with another scoop of chocolate on top of the almond butter. Place filled molds in freezer or fridge until they are hard. Pop almond butter cups out of mold and enjoy!

Paleo/Primal Christmas Recipes

2011-12-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

I've been looking back over some of my older Paleo/Primal recipes lately in an attempt to quickly populate the recipe section of a new blog I'm doing with some friends called Northwest Cavegirls. Since Christmas is quickly approaching I thought I'd compile some of my Winter/Christmas recipes into one post. I'm also including a link to a fabulous christmas pudding recipe created by my friend Kate. Merry Christmas and happy, healthy, holiday eating!

Paleo/Primal Apple Crumble
1 1/2 C almond flour
3 tsp cinnamon divided
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C coconut oil
2 Tbs Agave nectar, maple syrup or honey
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 apples, peeled, cored then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 C unsweetened apple sauce

Directions:
1. In one bowl combine flour, nutmeg, salt and 1 tsp of cinnamon. In another bowl combine oil, agave and vanilla. You may need to warm the coconut oil until it’s a liquid.
2. Stir wet ingredients into dry to make the topping.
3. Place apples in a 1-2 qt glass dish then sprinkle them with remaining cinnamon. Pour apple sauce on top of apples.
4. Crumble topping over apples.

5. Cover and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. When filling is bubbling up around crisp, remove cover and bake for another 5-8 minutes until crisp is golden.

Paleo/Primal Sage Stuffing (Dressing)

1 large onion
4 ribs celery
1 T coconut oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

3 1/2 C Almond Meal
2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t dried sage
1 t marjoram
1 C chicken broth
6 eggs

Chop onions and celery. In a skillet, melt coconut oil then sweat onions and celery until they are very tender. Mix in 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper to veggies. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 350F In a large mixing bowl, mix Almond Meal, salt, soda, sage, and marjoram. Mix in broth and eggs. When cooked veggie mixture is cool, add to Almond Meal mixture. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes for large muffins and 15 minutes for mini muffins. This recipe made 18 full size muffins and 6 mini. you could also put this into a regular 9x13 pan and bake for about 30+ minutes testing often for doneness.

Paleo/Primal Eggnog

6 eggs

2 Cans coconut milk

1/3 C honey

1 T vanilla

1 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Into a saucepan, pour the coconut milk and honey. Heat on medium while stirring continuously, BUT DO NOT BOIL. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until they become very frothy. When the milk mixture is heated, pour it one ladle at a time very slowly into the beaten egg mixture while continuing to mix with electric mixer. When all milk is incorporated, Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. (add more of these spices to your taste.) If you prefer thick as opposed to frothy, you can return this to the stove, stirring constantly until it thickens to your desired consistency.

At this point you can drink it as is with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg on top or you can add rum, whisky or the alcohol of your choice if desired.

Serves: 6.

Paleo/Primal Mulled Cranberry Sauce

2 C whole cranberries
1 1/2 C red wine
1 C honey
1/3 C crystalized ginger
1 T orange zest (fresh or dried)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mace

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat then simmer until contents have reduced to about 2 1/2 C and have become thicker, darker and most of the cranberries are no longer whole(this could take 30 minutes or more). Cover and refrigerate before serving. Will last up to a week in the refrigerator.

Paleo/Primal Cut-out Cookies

1/3 C Coconut oil
1/3 C Butter or Palm Shortening
1/2 C Honey
4 Eggs
1 T vanilla
1 C+ coconut flour

Mix all wet ingredients with electric mixer. Slowly add in the coconut flour until you form a soft dough. I found this dough to be very wet and had to add in more coconut flour as I rolled and cut the cookies. Flour a Silpat or parchment paper then turn out dough onto it and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick with more coconut flour on the rolling pin. Cut out cookies close together on the paper and remove the bits of dough in between leaving the cut outs on the paper. You can then move the parchment directly to a cookie sheet without having to lift the cut out cookies from it. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees until cookies are beginning to turn golden.

HO Ho HO ~ Paleo Christmas Puddings! by Kate on December 11, 2011

Paleo/Primal Spaghetti Bolognese

2011-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti is one of those comfort food dishes that almost everyone loves. The al dente noodles covered with rich flavorful meat sauce is something that just makes you feel warm from the inside out. Once deciding to eat Paleo/Primal, I gave up grain-filled pasta and needed a healthy substitute to fill that void. As the name would suggest, spaghetti squash has turned out to be our favorite noodle-like substitute. Although it takes a little more time to cook, the spaghetti squash is very easy to prepare. I top the al dente squash noodles with my regular beef bolognese. It's a family favorite and will most likely remain a dinnertime staple around here.

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
1 Spaghetti Squash

Cut squash in half, remove seeds from the inside with a spoon then place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 35 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the skin. Let squash cool then with a fork scrape out the "noodles" from the inside of the squash. Discard skin when all of the flesh has been removed.

Beef Bolognese
1 T butter or bacon grease
1 large onion
1 lb grass fed ground beef
2 C pasta sauce of your choice (I use Trader Joe's or Classico because they have no sugar added. But you could always make your own. )
salt and pepper to taste

Brown onions in butter or bacon grease. Remove onion mixture then brown meat in the pan. Return Onion mixture to meat then add all other ingredients. Simmer over medium heat until everything is bubbly. Serve alone or over spaghetti squash noodles.

Paleo/Primal Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

Today The Boy requested Lemon Poppyseed muffins. I took that as a challenge. Could I make a Paleo Lemon Poppyseed muffin? And would it pass The Boy's taste test? Just to add a bit of interest to the game I asked if he wanted to help me make them. Usually if he watches me make them he doesn't want anything to do with them after they come out of the oven. I guess when he knows what "strange" ingredients went into the batter he's not interested anymore. But this time, he helped make them, watched them bake, and ate them when they came out of the oven. That's a big win for Mom!

Paleo/Primal Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
4 eggs
3/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1 t vanilla
3/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C coconut oil - melted
1/4 C honey
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 T lemon zest
1/2 C coconut flour
1/2 T poppy seeds (optional, we didn't use them)

Preheat oven to 350F and let your lemon juice, apple sauce and eggs come to room temperature.

In a large bowl whisk all liquid ingredients together. In a seperate bowl mix all dry ingredients. Mix dry ingredients into the wet and stir until smooth. Let batter sit for about 10 minutes to let the flour soak up the liquid.

Fill lined muffin tins about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for about 30 minutes or until muffins are firm on top when you press on them. Let cool completely before eating.

Makes about 12 large muffins.

Braised Beef and Sweet Potatoes with Chive Butter

2011-12-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I made one of my usual concoctions, just winging it hoping everything tasted pretty good. Well, I hit a homerun with this meal (if I do say so myself)! I had some stew meat thawed in the fridge and still had a few veggies left from my weekly delivery. So here's what I did! (note that we ate it all before I could get any pictures, so the picture here is of a cow on the ranch where I get my grass-fed beef. This one's a milk cow, not a eatin' cow, but it may have known the one that contributed to the tasty meal tonight...who knows!)

I'll be posting this over at a new Paleo blog I'm doing with friends called Northwest Cavegirls as well. Go check it out!

Braised Beef (Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
1 lb grass-fed stew meat (chunks)
1 T coconut oil
2 T beef rub (see recipe below)
2+ C chicken broth

Beef Rub
3 t salt
1 t paprika
1 t garlic powder
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
1 t black pepper

Heat oil in a skillet until melted. Sprinkle Beef Rub over the raw meat and rub it in! Sear stew meat on all sides in the oil over medium heat. Cover browned meat with chicken broth, cover and simmer on low for 2-3 hours. Serve warm covered in it's own juice!

Sweet Potatoes with Chive Butter (Primal, Gluten-Free)
2 medium sized organic red sweet potatoes (often called yams in the store)
1 stick of butter
1/3 C fresh chives

Wash sweet potatoes and place on a microwave safe plate or bowl. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes. If you can stick a knife into them easily they are cooked!

In a small bowl, melt butter in microwave. Takes about 1 minute. Chop chives then mix them into the melted butter.

To serve, cut sweet potatoes into chunks and spoon chive butter over the top. Eat the skin as well!

Make Your Own Plush Angry Birds Game

2011-12-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

Shhh! Don't tell my kids, but I made them a real-life Angry Birds Game for Christmas. Both of the kids like to play the electronic game, as do I. So I thought I would try to make a real-life game where we could throw bean-bag style birds at little stuffed piggies hiding under our building block towers. How fun would that be?!?

I searched the Internet for ideas, but ended up just printing out some pictures of the little guys in the game on my computer and went from there.

Buy all the relevant colors of 8x10 sheet felt from a craft store along with some felt glue. You can cut out small pieces like the eyes and mouth line or you can draw them on with a fabric marker. I opted for the marker because it was much easier.

Cut out the facial features from the paper print-outs and cut around them onto the felt.

Take the felt body color of the creature you are creating and sew a circle, triangle or oval leaving an opening to turn the body inside out and stuff.

Turn inside out to hide seams then glue facial features onto body. Let dry appropriate amount of time according to glue bottle. You can sew these features on, but that was too much work for me! I used pins to hold the bottom white pieces that curved around the bird until they dried.

Stuff bodies with appropriate material. For the birds, I used mostly bean bag pellets. Real beans would work here as well. I wanted to give them some heft so they would knock over the towers we build. The large bomb birds were stuffed with half pillow stuffing and half pellets because I didn't want them to be so heavy they would break something important like a window. :) The pigs were stuffed entirely with pillow stuffing.

By hand, sew up the opening on the body then sew on any embellishments like ears for the pigs, hair tufts for the birds or the fuse on the bomb bird.

Build some towers or forts for your pigs to hide in, and launch your birds! I did think about getting a sling shot for launching, but I thought that would be a bit too dangerous for the rest of my household belongings.

Enjoy!

Book Review: Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal

2011-12-05T09:20:00.001-08:00

We should all know where our food comes from and how it was handled before we brought it home. If you don't raise your own meat and grow your own vegetables and fruits, someone else was responsible for the production of that food. Don't you want to know if they sprayed something on it or injected something into it? Although there are several government agencies mixed into the regulation of food production and processing, do you really trust them to have your best interests at heart or are they working for someone else?

In his book Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal, Salatin tells story after story of how the government agencies have put in place regulations that make it all but impossible for a small farmer or rancher to survive in the agriculture business. Salatin claims that even if the small farmer's product and operation is healthier for the consumer, cleaner and better for environment than the big guy, they can't sell their product at all if they don't meet the criteria written for a multi-million dollar operation (like having a dedicated bathroom for the inspector). Never mind that the multi-million dollar USDA inspected slaughter houses and packing plants are where virtually all of the cases of e.coli and salmonella originate.

Joel Salatin and his family have been in the middle of the food business for generations. His family owns and operates Polyface Farms in Virginia, which provides "clean" food to his community. He calls himself a grass farmer, and if you've seen him slaughtering chickens in the documentary Food Inc. or read about him in the Omnivore's Dilemma you understand what he means by that. He believes that by being a good steward of the grass pastures growing on his farm he can turn the solar energy soaked up by his grass into food energy produced by his livestock. Rather than bringing massive amounts of animal feed, antibiotics or petroleum onto his farm (in the form of fertilizer, pesticides and tractor fuel) he uses the output of his animals and a bit of human power to turn his pastures into lush salad bars to feed his livestock. He doesn't work his land, the animals do. He doesn't medicate his animals to keep them healthy; they are healthy because they eat good food and are treated well. So the end product that he sells to his customers tastes better and is better for them that what they could buy in the supermarket.

Salatin is a master story-teller! His writing style draws you in and makes you feel like you're sitting on his couch in his living room talking away the afternoon. But his indignation at the hoops he's had to jump through over the years just to provide clean food to his family and neighbors is very apparent. Reading his books makes the reader want to lobby for a change in the regulations and most definitely a change to the very way our food is grown and processed. It makes the reader want to opt-out of the government regulated system all together and buy local from neighborhood farmers, gardeners and ranchers or to grow our own food. According to Salatin, either of those last two options is vastly preferable for a healthy food economy, healthy body and a healthy environment.

I enjoyed this book immensely and also enjoyed Salatin's other book The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer. Salatin's books are very enjoyable reads, but they definitely make you want to do something about the food system or opt-out of it. I suppose in my own kitchen, I've done a combination of both. During the summer I grow my own vegetables, but during the winter I subscribe to a local organic produce delivery service. For meat, we purchase grass-fed beef in bulk from a local rancher and occasionally slaughter our own backyard chickens. Our hens provide us with eggs mostly year round, and I buy milk without antibiotics and hormones. You do the best you can with the knowledge you have, or in the words of Maya Angelou "When you know better, you do better."

Have you watched the documentary Food Inc.? How about King Corn? Have you read the Omnivore's Dilemma? If you haven't, you really should stop in to your local library and put them on reserve or fire up NetFlix and watch the documentaries. Whether you believe our food system is as it should be or not, it's always good to learn more about the currently accepted model and decide for yourself what you want to put on your family's dinner plates and in their bodies.

Paleo/Primal Eggnog

2011-12-03T10:19:00.001-08:00

'Tis the season for rich warming drinks like hot apple cider, peppermint hot chocolate and Eggnog! Although I love the ones I get from Starbucks, I really have no idea what they put in them, except a boat load of sugar. So I thought I'd give this one a shot and see if I could concoct a Paleo eggnog. The kids enjoyed the froth on the top and concluded that it made great Santa mustaches!

Paleo/Primal Eggnog

6 eggs

2 Cans coconut milk

1/3 C honey

1 T vanilla

1 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Into a saucepan, pour the coconut milk and honey. Heat on medium while stirring continuously, BUT DO NOT BOIL.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until they become very frothy. When the milk mixture is heated, pour it one ladle at a time very slowly into the beaten egg mixture while continuing to mix with electric mixer. When all milk is incorporated, Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. (add more of these spices to your taste.) If you prefer thick as opposed to frothy, you can return this to the stove, stirring constantly until it thickens to your desired consistency.

At this point you can drink it as is with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and/or nutmeg on top or you can add rum, whisky or the alcohol of your choice if desired.

Serves: 6.

Paleo/Primal Maple Walnut Muffins

2011-11-24T11:50:00.001-08:00

This morning I had a craving for a breakfast muffin. I have lots of recipes for others, but I was in the mood to play today, so I thought I'd make something up and see how it tasted. The result was a maple-y crunchy moist muffiin that is probably my new favorite. Give it a try!

Paleo/Primal Maple Walnut Muffins
1 1/2 C Almond meal
1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 Eggs
1/3 C Maple Syrup
1/2 C Unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl, then add wet ingredients. Spoon mixture into lined muffin tins then bake for about 15 minutes. I made about 24 mini muffins with this recipe.

Paleo/Primal Thanksgiving Dressing/Stuffing Muffins

2011-11-24T11:25:00.001-08:00

I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to make a paleo substitute for the traditional dressing I usually make on Thanksgiving. (For those of you not from the South, instead of calling it stuffing - because you're not stuffing it in a bird - we call it dressing. ) The recipe I've made for years is a take on the one my grandmother made for years and it's almost a sacred recipe. That was a lot of pressure. But I decided to give it a try and if it didn't taste right it'd still probably taste good enough to eat tomorrow as a day-after-thanksgiving side to go along with the leftover turkey.

I wasn't sure how to approach the making of paleo dressing since dressing is basically a savory bread pudding made with cornbread, white sandwich bread, eggs, spices, stock and veggies. Without the bread, what do you do? So I decided to try something entirely different and based the dish off of an almond meal muffin recipe. The result was amazing! I used a muffin tin to make individual portions, but I'm sure you could bake the mixture in a cake pan to make a traditional looking pan of dressing. I think the almond meal really gave the dressing the same coarse texture that you expect in a corn bread dressing. Add to that the traditional spices and you really feel like you're eating Mama's Thanksgiving dressing. Enjoy!

Paleo/Primal Thanksgiving Dressing Muffins
1 large onion
4 ribs celery
1 T coconut oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

3 1/2 C Almond Meal
2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 t dried sage
1 t marjoram
1 C chicken broth
6 eggs

Chop onions and celery. In a skillet, melt coconut oil then sweat onions and celery until they are very tender. Mix in 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper to veggies. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F In a large mixing bowl, mix Almond Meal, salt, soda, sage, and marjoram. Mix in broth and eggs. When cooked veggie mixture is cool, add to Almond Meal mixture. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes for large muffins and 15 minutes for mini muffins. This recipe made 18 full size muffins and 6 mini.