Saturday, April 28, 2012

Tears in Heaven? Heck NO! Tears in Walmart

Today I was cold. I had to go over to Walmart to watch the child sing. Yeah I went to Walmart where my child performed in the women's clothing department. It tops one of the strangest things I have ever done for my children. So here I am in the Walmart tearing up, eyes swollen with pride next to the rotisserie heat of the chickens. Uncomfortable on so many levels.  So for dinner tonight I needed to be comforted , I was cold and embarrassed and ashamed for crying at Walmart. I stopped over at the 7 Grains and was pleasantly surprised to find the coconut Flour was 7.99 for a pound. I am going to give you my opinion on Almond meal versus Coconut flour. I used almond meal over coconut flour in my early Primal cooking. I wasn't very fond of the gritty feel its gives the food. I have made some pretty good bread out of it though . One of the the first meals I made was almond meal pancakes , everyone liked them okay but I haven't made them since. The reason is because I did not like them. I thought they were heavy and gritty tasting and did not taste like real pancakes at all.  So today I decided to try and make coconut flour pancakes. These were delicious , they were lighter , thinner and just oh so tasty.  Thanks to the Husband tonight for doing most of the cooking. He is the breakfast cook. Up at 05:00 am yelling at us to wake up for coffee and breakfast. He is my champ. I am not a morning person. He would argue I am not a night person either.  I didn't take any pictures because I was hungry so I ate. No time to fool around. Here is the recipe I used .


Coconut Flour Pancakes 

Ingredients
  • 4 eggs, room temperature - No time for Room temp crack those babies cold.
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon  (coconut sap) - I dont know what this is and I cant afford it (stevia used)
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • coconut oil for frying - OR BUTTER AND BUTTER IS ALWAYS BETTER.
Instructions
  1. Preheat pan or griddle over medium-low heat. Beat eggs in a stand mixer until frothy. Mix in milk, vanilla, and coconut nectar.
  2. In a small bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon and whisk together.
  3. Combine dry mixture with wet in the stand mixer and beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl then mix on medium to medium-high for another minute or two or until the coconut flour is completely mixed into the batter.
  4. Grease pan with coconut oil. Pour batter to create pancakes that are about 3 inches in diameter. If the batter seems too thin you may need to add a small amout of coconut flour to achieve the desired consistency.
  5. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
  6. Serve hot with coconut oil, coconut nectar, agave nectar, honey, syrup or fruit.

Friday, April 27, 2012

When life gives you lemons make Taco salad?

Yes that's right make Taco salad. That's what I did.  I am not going to post the recipe because its very obvious whats in it. Its also very fast and easy. I want to talk about nuts. On Dr Oz the other day he said we should soak our nuts. Well I don't soak my nuts I just pop them in my mouth the way they are sold at the store.  Literally you take a glass , put your nuts in it and they swell up.
Here is what he says:

Dr. Oz: Soak Your Nuts

Energy Solution 3: Nut Soak-Soak your nuts says Dr. Oz, because nuts are covered in phytates. By soaking the nuts in purified water overnight, you’ll wash away phytates and make the nuts easily digestible, including the key nutrients you need to boost your energy.

I don't like Dr Oz that much though it was just on TV and I found it interesting because we do eat a lot of nuts in my household. 

So we are getting ready for the Hubby's Birthday and I plan on making him a Paleo version of a German chocolate cake .  I'm super stoked about it. I seriously love trying out new recipes.  

That's all I have tonight.. Check out this Taco salad



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

We aren't Pigs

After dinner today I was really feeling like a sweet treat. I mean I do deserve it after all.  I am one of those people that get fat from eating sweets and I am probably an emotional eater.  I also reward myself with food which I know is horrible.  I even reward my dog with treats. We have now established I am am a horrible person. So lets move on. I made cupcakes tonight. One for each of us. We aren't pigs after all. They were glorious. My kid says she threw it away. I think shes lying because she would rather I make cream cheese frosting versus whipped cream frosting. Tough luck kid we are out of cream cheese its the middle of the week. Now you are probably reading my blog thinking '' Its only the second post and she made a treat again?'' Well we can do that and I like treats , together in the last three months since going Primal my husband and I have lost over 100 pounds. We still have more to lose and  I m confident we can.  This wasn't a weight loss decision to begin with but its a wonderful side effect.  We also feel so much better physically .  If I want something I can make it I just have to make it differently. So here are the cupcakes , I found the recipe and modified it to work with what I have. 




Not feeling like a Pig Chocolate Cupcakes (3)

* 1 egg
* 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pure maple syrup
* 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp pasture butter, melted
* drop of pure vanilla extract
* 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp coconut flour
* 2 tsp cocoa powder
* pinch of salt
* large pinch of baking soda
* pinch of Stevia 

Mix together and bake at 350 F for 15 minutes
Top with some whipping cream beat with a little vanilla and stevia or make some cream cheese frosting. I hear kids like that better : P

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The First Post

The First Post , well let me start with why I decided to start this blog... I see a lot of people starting this Primal way of living and frankly I don't feel like commenting every time I try a new recipe or think of something new to make. This is a great way to share with friends, family and strangers. Instead of bombarding all my Facebook friends with pictures of my food they could care less about why not post it all in one place and let the ones that actually care check it out if they want to.  So once I figure this all out I will post the picture of the Lemon Raspberry cheesecake I made this weekend. So yummy.  I figure I should also post a little bit about me and my family. Just enough so you get to know us but not enough for a stalker or serial killer to come get us. Oh Yes, I have just found the insert picture link. See this awesome cheesecake below and enjoy this recipe I found and changed.


Ingredients

  • 1 tsp Real Vanilla extract
  • 1/2  Lemon  juice and zest
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 oz Plain Greek Yogurt Full fat
  • 1/2 cup real Maple Syrup 
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 16 oz Full fat cream cheese
  • Couple teaspoons of Stevia  
  • Raspberries , Fresh or Frozen

Process

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Make any crust you want. I use a nut blend , 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup almonds Grind in food processor, little bit of maple syrup and one tablespoon of almond butter. Mix up there's crust.
  3. Press the crust batter into the bottom of the pan, forming an even layer
  4. Combine cheesecake ingredients in a large mixing bowl, blending eggs into the batter one at a time.
  5. Blend cheesecake batter with a hand mixer until smooth.
  6. Pour mixture over the crust.
  7. Bake at 350°F for 65 minutes.
  8. Chill until serving
  9.  Add some frozen or fresh raspberries and there you have it !