Fresh Breakfast Sandwich

Looking for something to spruce up your morning bacon and eggs? This quick recipe is just what you need. I made these little biscuits and we enjoyed them with our pulled pork for dinner, and our breakfast the next morning. I found the recipe here and made it more Paleo friendly. The recipe called for almond flour. In the picture posted on their site the biscuit is pretty light in color, so I think they used bleached almond flour. Mine turned out darker, but I am sure they taste the same.

Fresh Breakfast Sandwich
biscuits:
1 cup almond flour
4 egg whites
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
sandwich ingredients:
Bacon (pre-cooked)
Eggs (pre-cooked)
Mustard

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour and butter until the two are blended, making little pea-sided bits. Add the egg whites, salt, and baking powder. Stir until all the ingredients are combined. Scoop batter onto greased baking sheet. Your scoops should be the desired size of your biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden.

Once your biscuits are baked, cut them in half, and assemble your breakfast. I used mustard, eggs and bacon. Simple and delicious! Enjoy!

That Day Old Bacon Smell

You know that day old bacon smell. You made a delicious dish last night that included bacon. It was mouthwatering, everyone loved it, the hills sang, and the heavens opened. (This is usually what happens at my house) Today you return home from work, open your house and it smells like day old bacon. Uh- no thanks caveman. This is one of my favorite candles. It's clean smell fills my house and kicks the bacon smell to the curb. If you are in the market for a new candle, this is the one for you. Enjoy!

 

Do You Miss Hummus?

I used to be, and still am, a lover of hummus.  After I switched to the Paleo way of eating, I found I didn't miss it until I was at a party and there it was, calling to me. Check out Nel's suggestion on a Paleo version of our long lost dip. She also explains why it isn't considered Paleo. If you haven't read her book yet, you should! It is an easy, fast and inspiration read.

 

 

Spicy Friday

What are some of your favorite spices to cook with? Have you tried out a new flavor recently? Maybe you have used an old goodie in a new way. Check out this post by The Clothes Make The Girl regarding the differences between spices and herbs. I was inspired to try some new ingredients and clean out my spice cabinet. Glass mason jars? My favorite!! I think I need to go shopping. . .

 

 

Newsworthy Information

Turns out a Paleo diet can be helpful not only for your waistline, but research is showing there are benefits for your brain as well. Check out today's headlines in USA Today. Regardless how romantic "The Notebook" makes Alzheimer's look, the disease is devastating, and may be avoidable.

 

PS- If you haven't watched "The Notebook", you are missing out! When you do watch it, be sure to have a box, and I mean a BOX of Kleenex with you. Also, be sure you don't have any chocolate in the house. For me tears and chocolate go hand and hand, and with this movie, I would eat it all! ;)

Enjoy!

Fresh Paleo Sushi

One of the things we really miss, and occasionally "cheat" with, is sushi. While I was on my whole30 last month I came across a paleo version of sushi and was super excited to try it. Turns out it was easy and tasty. There could be a whole blog dedicated to all the awesome variations you could make with just this one dish. I will give you the basics and you can sample, and create from there. If you discover any other combination, be sure to leave a comment and share it!

Fresh Paleo Sushi

1 head of cauliflower
1 package of dried seaweed
1 tsp coconut oil
Veggies sliced into spears (I used carrots, red peppers, and cucumber)
Cilantro
Wasabi
Liquid or Coconut Aminos

Wash and chop cauliflower into pieces large enough to hold together and small enough to hold onto. Using a cheese grater, grate cauliflower, tossing the stems. Over medium-high heat melt a tsp of coconut oil, saute shredded cauliflower for 7-10 min or until it starts to dry and become a little toasted. Remove from heat and let cool completely. (This is very important because if the "rice" is warm the moisture will make the seaweed soft and squishy) At this point I took 1/2 of my "rice" and added a few tablespoons of chopped cilantro. (optional)

 

Once the cauliflower rice is cool, lay a thin layer over the seaweed. Leave about an inch or so uncovered. At the opposite end lay your ingredients.

 

Starting at the end with your veggies, roll up the sushi toward the uncovered seaweed. You will slightly wet the last lip of uncovered seaweed. This will make it adhere to itself and viola you have assembled your first sushi roll. Cut 1 inch sections of your roll. Place wasabi and/or liquid aminos (paleo alternative to soy sauce) on the side and enjoy!

 

 

This recipe made about 6 rolls, but next time I would make them thicker with more ingredients, so the final number would change.

Experimentation Time

Have you been eating Paleo for awhile? Are you new to the whole idea? Do you sometimes wonder, "Can it get any better?" You are the only one that can truly answer that question, but check out this thought provoking article from Robb Wolf. I often remind myself, and my friends, that this is a journey! We are continually learning what our healthiest options in life are. Sometimes, we have to take a good look in the mirror and experiment with a few things. I am on the last leg of my whole30 program and I have learned a lot about myself. Take some time over the next week to think about what you can do to improve your, health, performance at the gym, quality of life, stress etc. I bet you will be surprised at the results. Enjoy!

 

Oven Roasted Maple Cinnamon Cashews

Here is a delicious sweet and salty recipe for your plain old cashews. The method of oven-roasting can be applied to various spices to create all sorts of flavors. Spicy, savory or sweet, you can enjoy the fun of creating new flavors!

Oven Roasted Maple Cinnamon Cashews

2 cups plain unsalted cashews
2 tsp ghee (or organic unsalted butter)
2 tsp maple syrup
Cinnamon
Sea Salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place cashews on an ungreased cooking sheet. Bake for 7-10 min, or until nuts have warmed. Meanwhile combine maple syrup and ghee (you may have to melt the ghee a bit so you can stir ingredients together). Remove nuts from the oven and place in a mixing bowl. Pour syrup and ghee over them. Stir until everything is coated. Pour nuts onto a cutting board or back on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon and salt to taste. Let cool a few min before enjoying, as they will be pretty warm from the oven. Enjoy!

Luches Got You Down?

I don't know about you, but I am great at making myself breakfast and dinner. I pack a lunch with delicious Paleo snacks, but often find it was not enough food or protein and by 3:00 I am hungry again! I can usually attribute that to the little time I gave myself to pack the lunch to begin with. Lunches seem to be tricky for many people. Where do you find the time to prep and make sure you have the right amount of food for the whole day? Click on this link for your solution. Paleo Power Lunches to the resuce! You can download the book today, and have lots of great lunch ideas. Enjoy!

 

Need Some Inspiration?

I am currently on day 16 of my Whole30 program. You may be thinking, "What, you have a food blog, and you are going back to the basics?" Yes, yes I am! Real life creeps in on all of us, and although I LOVE Paleo, I find myself sneaking a few too many chocolate covered almonds, glasses of wine, or "bites" of this or that and pretty soon I have the grumbly tummy and headaches again. This is always a sign that I need to get back to the basics. Once I get back on the straight and narrow I remember how good it feels to eat clean! I sleep so much better, my skin is clearer, my clothes fit better, I feel GOOD. . . all day. If you are on a "clean eating" journey, or feeling inspired to do so, check out this blog by our friends at Whole9life. Interested in starting a Whole30? Sign up today. They send you an e-mail every day jam packed with tips, recipes, tools, and inspiration! Pretty soon you will be feeling sustained throughout the day and PRing at the gym! Enjoy.

 

 

Fresh Pumpkin Muffins

Last week I tried a few new recipes. Oh.my.word. I think my kitchen beast status was in serious danger of being revoked. I even burnt my eggs that I cook EVERY morning. (You may have noticed the absence of a post last Monday- sorry I won't ever share nastiness with you). Epic fail on many levels. *sigh*

So I cleaned my kitchen, took a break for a few days, and then headed back to one of my favorite little treats from last fall. I needed a major pick-me-upper in the cooking department. These little muffins are "fall heaven". They are full of pumpkin flavor and not too sweet. Enjoy them with your favorite tea or cup of coffee. If you have recently had some cooking failures like me,  these will brighten your day. What a great way to celebrate October 1st with a pumpkin treat.

Fresh Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/2 c almond meal or flour
3/4 c canned organic pumpkin
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/4 c organic maple syrup
Optional:
1/2 c dried cranberries (you could also use regular or white raisins)
1/2 c chopped pecans

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix ingredients, except nuts and dried fruit, in a large mixing bowl. Once ingredients are blended, fold in chopped nuts and dried fruit. Spoon into oiled, mini muffin tin I use my silpat so I didn't need any oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when put into a muffin.  (If using a regular cupcake tin, add 5-10 min to the total baking time). Let muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan. Enjoy!