Spider Eggs and German Chocolate Cake

Today My sister , her husband , my nephews and my Mother in Law came over . Busy Day here at our house. My sister was picking up our old lizard cages. I went out to the garage to show her them. I go to open the door of the cage and on it was two little white spider web looking things. I assumed it was just dust or something similar from sitting in the garage. She GASPS Those are spider eggs , I can't believe you just touched those spider eggs. So I guess I know what spider eggs are now and I guarantee I will not be touching them anymore at least on purpose.  You learn something new everyday. I acted like I didn't care I touched those spider eggs because I have to keep up my tough girl image.  So I meant to get this cake made so I could share it with everyone ( I swear it was the plan) but that did not happen. I Finished the Paleo German chocolate cake for the Hubby's birthday. Now the three of us are going to have to eat it all ourselves. Aww man : )

Here is the link to the cake : http://www.primal-palate.com/2011/08/hayleys-paleo-birthday-cake-german.html

I always change things up a bit , I used coconut oil instead of the palm shortening and I always cut the syrup in half and use a bit of stevia. I also added a bit of stevia to the whipped cream.

Hubby says I should have baked the cake with nuts inside. Idea for next time!  My daughter thinks I should have put cream cheese frosting on it , surprise surprise.  Its not her birthday so her opinion doesn't count this time.

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.

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

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