Coconut Pound Cake with Strawberries

I made this for a family party over the weekend and it was a huge success... Paleo, not-Paleo, kids and adults alike! It was a delicious combination that pleased EVERYONE! In fact, on the way home, my daughter announced that this was officially her new favorite dessert forever-more! With accolades like that, how can you not give this a try!? She is 15 and knows just about everything! ;-)

Coconut Pound Cake Recipe:

6 eggs
1 C coconut milk
1/2 C honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. coconut extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1 C coconut flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. sea salt
Coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs with the coconut milk, honey and extracts, until smooth. Add the coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until a smooth batter forms. Grease a loaf pan with coconut oil, and sprinkle with some coconut flour to lightly coat pan. Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until pound cake separates from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean! Allow the pound cake to cool before removing it from the pan.

Strawberries:
Thinly slice 2 pints fresh, well rinsed, strawberries. Add to a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 T organic coconut palm sugar. Let the mixture sit and marinate until strawberries create a juicy syrup!

Slice coconut pound cake and top with strawberry mixture (be sure to pour a little syrupy juice over the top, too).

Optional: top with a Whipped topping of 100% organic heavy whipping cream.
Whip cream until stiff peaks begin to form. Add 1 T coconut sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Whip again until blended and top strawberry coconut pound cake! Hope you enjoy this wonderful delight!

Delicious Baked Chicken Topped with Crispy Prosciutto

Today was a typical Monday... full of the business and craziness that only Monday's can bring! Starting my day with CrossFit was great! A complete challenge with my two favorite combinations: row & bench! ... Left me feeling pretty invigorated and motivated to tackle the rest of the stressors the day would bring!
Anyway, I felt we deserved a special meal to close down the day, relax and take in some flavors the senses would truly appreciate. What is it about a good meal that just makes everything better?

Recipe:
4 Skinless, boneless Chicken breasts, pounded
2 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 C Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C Artichoke hearts
1/2 C White wine or chicken broth
1 T Olive Oil
2 oz. Prosciutto
Seasonings: sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and paprika
Spinach
2 T chopped garlic

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake prosciutto on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes on each side (until crispy) while your preparing the rest of the meal. Pound chicken breasts fairly thin and sprinkle both sides with the seasonings. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet at medium-high. Brown chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a baking dish. Add the shallots to the skillet (with a little more olive oil if necessary). Add wine (or broth) deglazing pan as you stir in mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Pour the sauce over chicken breasts and break pieces of the crispy cooked prosciutto over the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes, uncovered.
While the chicken is cooking, saute the garlic in olive oil. Add the spinach and saute. Add a splash of chicken broth, and let spinach cook down to tenderness.
Serve chicken breasts on a bed of the sauteed spinach. Spoon a little extra sauce over the top and enjoy! We thought this was a meal packed with delicious flavors! The crispy bites with the prosciutto were the kids favorite!

Paleo Harvest Soup

Well, it's that time of year again! ...Time dust off the crock pot and add some soups to the menu! Hope you enjoy this harvest soup... full of comforting fall-like ingredients. It was a delicious dinner and actually made an even better lunch the next day!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground sausage
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 Japanese sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 hannah sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 T olive oil
32 oz. beef broth
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can water
2 C chopped kale
1 bay leaf
pinch sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, brown ground sausage. Add the beef broth and canned tomatoes. In a separate skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions until caramelized. Add onions, potatoes and squash to soup along with bay leaf. Heat on a low boil for about 15 minutes. Then cover and reduce heat on low for about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. About 20 minutes before serving, add the chopped kale to the soup. Stir well and keep covered. Hope you enjoy this thick, hearty harvest-time soup! I hope it will make you want to welcome Fall with open arms...