Chocolate Avocado Pudding with Cocoa Nibs

I had a lot of fun at our CFSCC Nutrition Talk! Thank you so much for showing up on a Saturday afternoon excited for information about Paleo nutrition... What a great, motivated and inspiring audience! I've been in the field of nutrition for many years and it is not always something people are eager to respond to! In fact, I usually feel like I'm bearing some sort of "bad news" when discussing it! But not on this day, and I love it!!! I truly hope you all left with something valuable and motivated for a 30-day challenge! It truly is all of you that inspire me to experiment, create and cook! So, thank you!

*There are still a few Paleo cookbooks available!

I read all of the nutrition assessment forms, and hands-down, most the food cravings were for: chocolate! (There was one particular craving for pudding, so I figure this recipe takes care of everyone.) This pudding turned out wonderful! Honestly, you do not taste avocado at ALL. It just provides the perfect texture and creaminess. Careful not to use too ripe of a banana, or I think it will overpower the rich chocolate flavor. Be generous with the cocoa nibs! They add an excellent bit o' chocolaty crunch! Hope you enjoy! *This recipe is adapted from: Natural Noshing.com

Recipe:

2 avocados

5 T unsweetened cocoa powder

1 banana (not overripe or it will be too overpowering)

1/3 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk

4 T honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch sea salt

Garnish with cocoa nibs

In a food processor or blender, add all ingredients (except cocoa nibs). Blend well for about 1 minute until smooth and creamy. If it's too thick, add a little more almond milk. Spoon into serving dishes and garnish with cocoa nibs. Chill for about 15-30 minutes before serving.

Hey! Here's a little Carbohydrate talk for you! I've had some questions in the gym lately and realized we kind of skimmed past this during the nutrition talk!

Hopefully this will answer your questions on Paleo Carbs!

There are two kinds of Carbohydrates: Simple and Complex

Simple carbs are the simple sugars like; sucrose (table sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), glucose and lactose (milk sugar).

On the Paleo diet we would consume these in moderation: fruit, dried fruit and honey (small amounts). Limit fruit to 2 servings and dried fruit to 2 oz. per day if weight loss is a goal!

Best fruit choices: Berries, berries, berries! Melons, tropical varieties, and citrus.

Complex carbs for the Paleo diet are: starchy root vegetables. Best choices are: sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, rutabaga, carrots, beets, onions, kohlrabi, yams and jicama!!! ... That's enough to keep us busy cooking!

What we do NOT eat for complex carbs are: breads, cereals, bagels, crackers, tortillas, quinoa, rice, cookies, beans, baked goods and all highly processed grain-laden foods!

Please post thoughts to comments!

Greek Spaghetti Squash Salad

This was a surprise hit with dinner tonight. Everyone looked at it with skepticism and after a few bites... they were asking for seconds! Hope you enjoy!

1 large spaghetti squash

1-1/2 C tomatoes (yellow and red variety), chopped

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 C kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

3 T red wine vinegar

2 T fresh oregano

pinch sea salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti squash. Quick method: Pierce squash with a fork; place in microwave. Microwave on high for 15 minutes or until tender. Let stand 10 minutes, until squash is cool enough to handle. Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Scrape insides of squash with a fork to remove squash in spaghetti-like stands. Combine spaghetti squash, onions, tomatoes, olives and kalamata olives. Whisk together vinegar and spices. Pour over spaghetti squash mixture and toss well. Cover, chill and serve.

Baked Chicken & Apples

Tonight's dinner was a "cupboard clean-out experiment". It was very interesting, very Fall, very comforting, very aromatic, and very delicious! We all enjoyed it... hope you do, too!
Sometimes the most fun I have cooking Paleo is when I don't have any kind of a plan and I'm forced to just create recipes with ingredients I have on hand. After tonight... I'm convinced anyone can create Paleo meals!

Ingredients
6 boneless, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (slightly pounded)
2 T coconut oil
sea salt, black pepper and paprika (to season chicken breasts)
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 C carrots, thinly sliced
2 apples, peeled and sliced into 8 pieces (I used Gala)
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. dried thyme
sea salt
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C apple cider

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat coconut oil in a skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and paprika. Brown chicken breasts in coconut oil (about 2-3 minutes each side). Remove chicken to a plate and add vegetables and apples to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until veggies are tender (about 5 minutes). Add cinnamon, thyme and sea salt. When fragrant, add chicken broth and apple cider. Place chicken pieces back in skillet. Cover and cook in the oven for 20 minutes until done! Serve chicken with the apple/onion vegetable mixture and juice spooned over the top.
Enjoy!

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...

Paleo Bacon Coleslaw

I had SO much fun cooking tonight's dinner. If you can... make an evening out of it! Sip some wine and enjoy the process! ... Gourmet & Paleo!!! Enjoy! :-)

Recipe:

1 head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

OR you can cheat and buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage w/ carrots! :-)

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

6 strips bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T honey

1/2 C apple cider vinegar

1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch sea salt & pepper

Combine cabbage, onion and carrot in a large bowl and set aside. Cook bacon pieces over medium heat until throughly browned and crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer bacon to a dish lined with paper towels... to drain. Set aside. Reserve bacon grease for later. Combine mustard, honey, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add about 2 tablespoons bacon grease and all but 2 tablespoons bacon. Mix well and pour over cole slaw. Sprinkle remaining 2 T bacon over slaw and serve!

I used whatever remaining bacon grease for the sweet potatoes side! Use 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, add to a baking dish. Saute 4 cloves minced garlic in the bacon fat. Do not let the garlic burn! Add about 2 T fresh rosemary (chopped finely) and continue to saute slightly and quickly. Pour mixture over chopped sweet potatoes. Toss well and bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees!

I served both these delicious sides with an old recipe favorite: "Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops with Rosemary"! Everything complimented each other nicely! Yum.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Shallots and Garlic

I have been a little MIA lately, and I apologize! I also really appreciate those of you who keep checking the site and posting on older recipes! This is still very much a passion of mine... the cooking, creating, eating Paleo and blogging about it! However... life has thrown us a curve ball. (Which it does to us all from time-to-time). Personal issues and illness within our family have drawn immediate attention and priority! I know we ALL have experienced times in our lives when "life" simply overwhelms us.... Pain, suffering, bad luck, sadness, unfortunate circumstances, injuries, heartache... the list goes on! It's times like these when our foundations for good health come to test and really kick in! All of a sudden a great recipe, creative cooking or simply eating for that matter, do not seem important! But... we have the foundations and the experience to make good choices in non-desirable situations. This is who we are now: CrossFitters, Paleo enthusiasts, health aficionados! It is also times like these when we realize what "good health" actually means (visually & internally)!

People: Do not take for granted your health! Get out there and move! Eat well! Enjoy the pleasure (and luxury) of pushing your limits! Live well. Stay challenged. Eat well. Live smart. Eat smart. Stay active within your means. and...CrossFit!

I've heard this quote a lot lately from various sources, and it keeps playing in my mind: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" - John Lennon

Recipe:

20 oz. chopped butternut squash or 1 butternut squash peeled and diced

4 large shallots, peeled and halved

10 cloves garlic, peeled

1 C olive oil

1 heaping T red wine vinegar

1 large tsp. dried thyme

pinch sea salt & pepper

dash allspice & cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine olive oil and spices. Put butternut squash, shallots and garlic in a baking dish. Add olive oil and spices and toss all ingredients well. Bake for 30-40 minutes... until butternut squash is tender and shallots start to caramelize. That's it!

Hope you enjoy this simple (delicious) side! :-)

Seasoned Coconut Chips

My coconut kick continues.... This recipe was passed on to me by a fellow coconut connoisseur. If you enjoy snacking on coconut chips, you should really give this a try... It's blends a perfect crispy, slightly salty crunch with a cinnamon pizazz! ...It's a hit!

I have to give major props to this recipe creator (great blog site as well)-

http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/06/13/carmelized-coconut-chips/

Hope you enjoy!!!

Recipe:

1 C coconut chips (I used Paleo Brands All Natural Coconut Flakes)

http://store.paleobrands.com/store/pc/Coconut-Flakes-2p27.htm

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Add coconut flakes. Toss until start to brown.. about 2-3 minutes. Happens quickly, so keep a close eye! Remove from heat, sprinkle with the cinnamon and salt. Toss until coconut is evenly coated with seasonings. Allow to cool. Store in a air-tight bag and snack on demand!

Coconut Butternut Squash

My coconut kick continues!!! Coconut proves to be a beautiful recipe enhancement (and my current cooking obsession). Perfectly fun, healthy and exotic! This was truly an amazing side dish ... and I completely foresee making this on a regular basis! Easy and delicious... who could ask for more??

Recipe:

1 T coconut oil

Butternut squash, diced (about 20 oz.)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C coconut milk (full fat!)

1/4 C chopped cilantro (or 4 green onions, diced)... I've tried and like both!

1 tsp. rubbed sage

1/4 C coconut flakes

Pinch Salt and Pepper to taste

Pinch toasted coconut flakes (topping)

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until tender and aromatic. Add diced butternut squash, and toss with coconut oil and garlic. Add coconut milk to skillet and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes. When butternut squash starts to become tender, add cilantro, sage, coconut flakes, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until all ingredients blend well and butternut squash is tender (but not mushy) about 5-7 more minutes. Serve and sprinkle with a few additional flakes of toasted coconut! Enjoy!

We served this with a grilled pork loin and steamed zucchini.

This side dish kind of "steals-the-show", so it's a great accompaniment for the basics and ordinaries! :-)