"Baby Cake"

For Breck's First Birthday, I wanted to find a recipe for a cake that had nutritious ingredients, no refined sugar, and that tasted great.  I scoured the internet for a recipe that I might fit and finally landed on this one (which that blogger adapted from this recipe).  I modified it slightly to make it gluten free!

I have made this recipe (sans frosting) 6 times since Breck's birthday because he loves it and WE love it!  It's a snack I feel good about serving to him, and I feel good about eating myself.  The birthday cake version inludes the cake recipe, frosting, and halved blueberries for the "one" on top.  But when I'm making it for every day eating, I just make the cake, minus the frosting!  Sometimes I add blueberries to the batter itself, which is also delicious.  The way Breck likes it most is straight from the freezer.  I cut the cake into small slivers and freeze it so that I can grab a chunk that he can hold and suck on and then eat.  It's great for teething babies who need something cold to soothe their mouths!  If you don't want to freeze it, it's also great refrigerated for up to a week.

I have only ever made this recipe using 2- 9 inch round cake pans, but I am sure you could adapt it to a 13x9 pan (and add some cooking time), or 2- 8 inch square pans.

I apologize for not having any pictures!  I have pictures of Breck with the cake that you can check out if you're friends with me on facebook, but I forgot to take any of just the cake itself!

Without further ado...

Baby's First Cake (barely adapted from FitMamaRealFood)

Cake:
5 ripe bananas
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce- sit out for a bit so it's not cold!
3 T coconut oil, melted
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 c gluten free flour (I have used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour and Namaste Foods flour with success)
3/4 c oat flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese (I used full fat)
1/2 c apple butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 T maple syrup (optional- I liked it because it made the frosting a little less tangy)

Decorations:
halved blueberries to make the "one" on top if you're making a first birthday cake

Directions:
Grease 2-9 inch round cake pans with coconut oil, then cut out parchment paper circles to fit the bottom of the pans and put the parchment in.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix bananas, applesauce, and melted coconut oil, and vanilla with hand blender til smooth (a few banana chunks are ok).  Add baking soda, gluten free flour, oat flour, and cinnamon and blend again til smooth.  Pour batter into pans, splitting it evenly between the pans the best you can!  At this point you can add fruit to the batter if you'd like!  (I have been adding frozen blueberries- just note that this will add some baking time).  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cake is no longer jiggly in the middle.

If you are NOT making a layer cake and do NOT want frosting, just let the cake cool and then cut into pieces.  If you are going to store it in the fridge, cut pieces as big as you want.  If you are freezing it, cut it into slivers of whatever size your baby can handle!

If you are making the layer cake and/or frosting your cake, continue reading!  To make the frosting, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.  With a hand mixer, blend it with the apple butter, vanilla, and maple syrup.  Mine was a little chunky but tasted delicious and Breck did not care one bit!  Supposedly using room temperature cream cheese helps with this problem but it didn't for me this time.

Let the cakes cool in the pans.  If you are making a layer cake, use a bowl of whatever size you'd like as a "cookie cutter" to cut out 3 circles for the layers.  Place the first layer on a flat surface lined with a piece of parchment paper that is bigger than the cake itself (this allows for easy transfer once you want to serve it to your baby).  You will have pieces leftover after cutting the circles- just break up the rest of the cake and refrigerate or freeze the scraps!  I ended up using letter cookie cutters to cut out the first initial of Breck's baby friends' names so that they could enjoy their own cake at the party!  Then I froze the remaining pieces.

Frost the first layer, place the second layer on top, frost that, place the third layer on top, and frost the whole thing, including the sides.  Decorate with halved blueberries in the shape of a "1."



I hope your little one enjoys it as much as mine did!

*This post is dedicated to my friend Megan, who let me bake the cake for Breck's party (along with a variety of other baked goods) in her oven because mine stopped working 2 days before his party!  Her son and Breck taste tested the cake fresh from the oven and both of them gobbled it up!

Chocolate Hazelnut Bites

And one more "bite" recipe for good measure...  These are probably my all time favorite of all the fruit and nut bites I have made.  Can't stop, won't stop... eating them.  (Does anyone else constantly have that lyric from the new Taylor Swift song running through their head???)  Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut Bites

12 medjool dates, soaked in hot water for about 5 minutes
1 c hazelnuts (Skins can be on! I get mine at Trader Joe's)
8 T cocoa
7 T unsweetened shredded coconut

After soaking dates, process them in a food processor until they start to break down and form a paste.  Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to process until everything comes together and can be easily rolled into a ball.  As you can tell from the picture, I don't process them until the nuts are completely broken down- I leave them a little chunky.  Process longer for smoother bites and shorter for chunkier ones.  Roll into balls and store in the freezer.  They are awesome straight from the freezer!

Pumpkin Bites

My arsenal of dried fruit and nut "bites" is growing rapidly, as I find that these naturally sweetened bite size treats are my favorite thing to snack on.  Today I have a recipe inspired by a pumpkin bar created by a friend at my CrossFit gym.  These little balls have all the flavors of fall and are a nutritious treat for any time of day.  

Pumpkin Bites

10 medjool dates, soaked in hot water (*I microwave about a cup of water and then let the dates soak in it for about 5 minutes)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c pumpkin puree

1 c pumpkin seeds

1/2 c pecans

1/4 c flax

1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut 

1/2 c golden raisins

After soaking the dates, process them in a food processor until they are mostly broken down and have started to form a paste.  Then add the rest of ingredients and process until the ingredients come together and can be easily formed into a ball (if you want them less "chunky" process longer, and for more chunky process for a shorter time).  Roll into 1 inch balls.  I store these in the freezer and they can be eaten straight out of the freezer!  Enjoy!

Samoa Bars

I made these bars over the weekend and they were a hit with my friends!  If you are a coconut fan, you will LOVE these rich, dense, date-sweetened, creamy, gooey, coconut-filled bars!  The only added sugar comes from the thin layer of chocolate on top, so you can feel good about eating these treats that have lots of healthy fat and fiber.  I just wouldn't go eating the whole pan... make these to share with your friends so they're not sitting around your house tempting you, because I guarantee they will be calling out your name from the fridge!

I found the original recipe on the fantastic food blog Eat Good 4 Life.  Check it out!  

No Bake Samoa Bars

Slightly adapted from Eat Good 4 Life

Crust
1/2 c dry roasted macadamia nuts
1 1/2 c almond meal
1 c unsweetened, shredded coconut
4 dates
1 T coconut oil (add more if the "dough" seems too dry)

Filling
12 medjool dates (about 1 1/2 cups), soaked in hot water
1/3 c full fat canned coconut milk
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 c unsweetened, shredded coconut

Topping
1 c enjoy life chocolate chips

1. Heat up about 1 1/2 cups of water in the microwave.  Remove the pits from the 12 dates for the filling and submerge them in the water, letting them soak while you make the crust.
2. In the food processor, process the crust ingredients until well combined.  Add more coconut oil if it doesn't seem to be coming together.  Press firmly into the bottom of an 8x8 in. pan.  Put the pan in the freezer while you make the filling.
3. No need to clean out the food processor here (just scrape the crust out with a spatula the best you can!).  Put the soaked dates in the food processor and process until they form a paste.  Then add in the coconut milk and process until smooth.  Next, add the salt and coconut and process briefly til everything is incorporated together.
4. Take your pan out of the freezer and spread the filling over the crust, creating a smooth layer.  Put the pan back in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, melt your chocolate chips in the microwave (I melt them on 50% power for 1 min, followed by 30 sec intervals, stirring each time I take them out until they are melted).  Spread the chocolate layer on top of the filling.  
6. Refrigerate the bars for several hours, then use a very sharp knife to cut them into pieces!  I cut mine into 32 small bars, which worked perfectly because these are very rich!  Store in the refrigerator.
 

Nut Milk and Nut Pulp Recipes! (Homemade Almond Milk + Homemade Brazil Nut Milk + Almond Pulp Freezer Cookies + Brazil Nut Pulp Fudge Balls)

The recipes I'm about to give you require some special equipment... a nut milk bag. These bags are basically very fine mesh strainers, in the form of a bag with a drawstring. They allow you to strain nut milk, chicken stock, and act as a cheesecloth for making your own yogurt.  I use mine mainly for nut milk, and I have been using it a LOT lately.  Since I've been on a smoothie kick, I've also been on a nut milk kick (since it tastes so good in smoothies!)  
Nut milk bags cost between $7-12 on Amazon and are SO worth it if you are interested in making your own nut milk.  In fact, I'm not really sure how to make it without one.  It's a small price to pay for such a valuable piece of kitchen equipment, so I encourage you to buy one!  Just search on amazon for "nut milk bag" and you'll find what you need.  

Homemade Almond Milk

1 c raw almonds
filtered water, to cover the almonds
4 c filtered water

Cover 1 c raw almonds with filtered water in a large glass bowl with a lid and let them soak overnight (really, anywhere from 4-24 hours).  You can let them soak in the fridge or on the counter, at room temperature.  When you're ready to use them, drain the water and rinse the almonds.  Place them in a high powered blender with 4 cups fresh filtered water.  Blend until almonds are pulverized, and then some (about 1-2 minutes).  Next, place the nut milk bag in a bowl with the mouth of the bag open.  Pour the milk into the bag.  The nut pulp will accumulate in the bag and the milk with accumulate in the bowl.  When you're done pouring, (with very clean hands), you will need to squeeze the bag to get the rest of the milk out.  You're squeezing the pulp to extract as much milk as possible.  When you're done squeezing, you'll have yummy almond milk in your bowl and yummy almond pulp in the bag (well, the almond pulp isn't really great by itself, but you can MAKE yummy things with it!).  This makes about 4 cups of almond milk. 

VARIATION: Vanilla Almond Milk
*Add 2 soft, medjool dates, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt to the blender with the almonds and water.  I highly recommend this version!

Homemade Brazil Nut Milk

1 c raw brazil nuts
4 c filtered water

Unlike almonds, brazil nuts do not need to be soaked before using them to make nut milk! Place 1 c brazil nuts in a high powered blender with 4 cups fresh filtered water. Blend until brazil nuts are pulverized, and then some (about 1-2 minutes).  Next, place the nut milk bag in a bowl with the mouth of the bag open.  Pour the milk into the bag.  The nut pulp will accumulate in the bag and the milk with accumulate in the bowl.  When you're done pouring, (with very clean hands), you will need to squeeze the bag to get the rest of the milk out.  You're squeezing the pulp to extract as much milk as possible.  When you're done squeezing, you'll have yummy brazil nut milk in your bowl and yummy brazil nut pulp in the bag (well, the brazil nut pulp isn't really great by itself, but you can MAKE yummy things with it!).  This makes about 4 cups of brazil nut milk

VARIATION: Vanilla Brazil Nut Milk
*Add 2 soft, medjool dates, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt to the blend with the brazil nuts and water.  I highly recommend this version!

Almond Pulp Freezer Cookies

Now, I hate to waste food.  So I like to find recipes to use the pulp leftover from making nut milk.  These cookies are the first thing I ever tried making with nut pulp.  I am always on the lookout for more good recipes, so please post any recipes you have made with nut pulp!  I would love to try them!

1 c (128 g) almond pulp
1/4 c rolled oats
1/4 c coconut oil
1/4 c raw honey
1/4 c raw almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T cinnamon
2 c brown rice puffs OR brown rice crisps

Mix ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.  Roll into balls then flatten slightly. Freeze on cookie sheets until frozen, then transfer to containers to store in freezer.  For me, this made about 32 cookies.

I was in the process of licking the food processor bowl clean...

So good...

Brazil Nut Pulp Fudge Balls

Adapted from Rawtarian

I'm not kidding, this might be my favorite dessert recipe of all time.  I tasted this and a smile literally broke out on my face.  They are DELICIOUS.  

Leftover brazil nut pulp from making brazil nut milk (a little less than 1 c)
1 c cashew meal (I find mine at Trader Joe's; you could also make this by pulverizing cashews in a food processor until they create a fine, powdery meal- it will have more texture than flour)
10 large, soft medjool dates, pitted (about 1 c) (I find mine at COSTCO)
5 heaping T cocoa powder
4 T unsweetened, shredded coconut
pinch sea salt

Process all ingredients in food processor until a huge "mass" forms.  Basically, you will see a large "ball" rolling around in the food processor.  At this point, all ingredients should be well blended.  Roll the mixture into small balls.  Store them in the freezer.  For me, this made about 25 balls.  

Almond Joy Balls

The last week of school there are always tons of potlucks and gatherings featuring a boatload of some healthy and some very unhealthy food.  Well, one of the parties featured Whit's frozen custard, which, if you have never tried it, is AMAZING.  Not a part of my normal diet, but I do enjoy the occasional ice cream treat from time to time, and I sure as heck enjoyed it at that party.  These balls are an ode to the flavors in Whit's Almond Joy frozen custard.  They are EXACTLY what I was going for when I set out to recreate all of the flavors in that ice cream.  No, they do not taste like ice cream, but they do taste like delicious chocolatey, almondy, coconutty heaven.  

Almond Joy Balls

10 soft medjool dates, pitted

2 scoops (28 g) chocolate protein powder (I used organic, grassfed dark chocolate Tera's whey)

1 c almonds

1/2 c unsweetened, shredded coconut

1-2 T unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

Process all ingredients in food processor until ingredients all stick together enough for you to roll it into balls.  You can vary the texture (smooth to chunky) by processing it for a shorter or longer time.  The balls will be fairly sticky when you roll them.  Put them in a freezer safe container and freeze them to store.  They will still be a little gooey straight from the freezer... yum!

TIP: I only buy this Whey when it is on Manager's Special at Kroger, or a stupid good deal at Vitacost.com.  At full price it is super expensive.  

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Before doing our current Detox, I was on a baking kick (probably part of the reason we decided to do the Detox....)  During this baking kick, I told a friend of mine I was going to make carrot cake cupcakes.  3 weeks later, I finally got around to making them and called her right away.  I tried a cupcake before taking them to her and was blown away by how good it was.  Dense, just sweet enough, and full of subtle flavors like cinnamon and cardamom.  The icing on the cake?  No added sugar in the cupcakes themselves.  You might even be able to get away with calling these carrot cake muffins!  But then of course you would need to leave off the frosting... which is kind of amazing. The frosting does have a small amount of maple syrup, but it's super rich from the cream cheese and not too sweet.  My friend LOVED these cupcakes, as did many other taste tasters.  One friend called them "friggin' awesome." Enough said!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

adapted from Paleo Newbie

8 soft medjool dates, pitted

1 c hot water (I microwave mine for 1:11)

1/4 c apple butter (or unsweetened applesauce)

1/3 c whole milk (or coconut milk)

3 large eggs, whisked

1/4 c coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 c almond flour

3/4 c cashew meal (you could omit this and use all almond flour)

2 T coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 T cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c raisins

1 1/4 c grated carrot (I used shredded carrot and just chopped it up a little finer)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat your cup of water and place the dates in it for about 5 minutes.  Then place the softened dates in a food processor along with the apple butter. Process until it forms a thick paste.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients (milk through vanilla) to the food processor and process briefly until uniform.  

Stir the dry ingredients (except for the raisins and carrots) together, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until well mixed.  Next, fold in the carrots and raisins.

Place cupcake liners in muffin tins, then pour batter into tins about 2/3 full.  For me this made 18 cupcakes.  

Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.  Let cool before frosting.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. full fat organic cream cheese, room temperature

8 oz. salted, grassfed butter (or unsalted butter + 1/4 tsp salt), room temperature

1/3 c maple syrup

1 T cinnamon

pecans
flaked unsweetened coconut

Whip cream cheese, butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon with handheld mixer until fluffy!  Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.  Top the cupcakes with pecans or flaked, unsweetened coconut if you want!  You will have leftover frosting, so you can make a half batch if you want.  Or you could just eat the leftover frosting with a spoon.  Take your pick.

*If you don't have time to let the ingredients come to room temperature, microwave the butter until it is soft but not melted, and squeeze the cream cheese package between your hand until it is soft.  

Banana, Blueberry, and Greens Smoothie

Wow, it's been awhile!  The end of this school year was a whirlwind, but now that I'm on break from school for the summer, I think I'll be able to update the blog more frequently.  I have quite a few yummy recipes stocked up to share... so stay tuned!  

The recipe I have to share today may look absolutely disgusting, but it's incredibly delicious, healthy, and a new favorite of mine.  Lesson: don't judge a book by it's cover.  

Rem and I are currently doing a 28 day Detox that involves drinking fruit, veggie, and soaked nut smoothies for a portion of it.  Truth be told, before doing this Detox (1 week ago) I didn't think I was a huge smoothie fan.  One short week later, I am a smoothie lover.  The recipe below is my current favorite!

Banana, Blueberry and Greens Smoothie

1 frozen banana, cut in half (I freeze mine in 1/2 banana chunks)
1/2 c frozen organic blueberries
3/4 c water/milk/almond milk (*I used homemade almond milk)
2 large handfuls organic baby spinach
30 g raw organic walnuts, soaked in a covered bowl of filtered water for 4-8 hours OR 1/2 avocado

You have a few options here:
Option 1: You can throw everything in a regular blender and blend it until smooth.  I like my smoothies thick, and I actually eat them with a spoon rather than drinking them.... but if you want a thinner smoothie, add more water/milk/almond milk.  
Option 2: Put your spinach and almond milk in a single serve magic bullet and blend until smooth.  Then add the banana, blueberries, and walnuts OR avocado and continue to blend until smooth.  

Cracked Nut Butter Copcycat Recipes: Brownie Batter Nut Butter and Cinnamon Roll Nut Butter

I do not have pictures... but I felt that I needed to get these recipes out into the world!  I've never had Cracked Nut Butter, but people seem to love it!  When my friends placed a recent order for it, I decided to try making it myself, and although I've never had Cracked Nut Butter, I created two copycat versions that I think taste pretty darn good!  Try them and see if you agree!  I'd like to know what you think!

Brownie Batter Nut Butter

1 1/2 c raw almonds
1 1/2 c pecans
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut

Process the above ingredients in a food processor until a smooth nut butter is formed.  Then add:

28 g chocolate whey protein powder (I used "Tera's Whey")
1 T cocoa powder
1 T coconut oil (melted)
1 T Ghee (melted)

Process again until uniform.

This tastes good straight out of the food processor but is even better after it has been refrigerated for at least a few hours!  I stored mine in a mason jar.

Cinnamon Roll Nut Butter

1 1/2 c raw almonds
1 1/2 c pecans
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut

Process the above ingredients in a food processor until a smooth nut butter is formed.  Then add:

1 scoop (approx. 28 g) vanilla whey protein powder
1 T cinnamon
1 T coconut oil (melted)
1 T ghee (melted)

Process again until uniform.

Apple Pie Bites

Very reminiscent of apple pie lara bars, these bite-sized treats are easy to make and satisfy any sweet craving!

Apple Pie Bites

1/2 c walnuts
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c cashews
10-12 medjool dates (the big, soft, chewy kind that still have the pits- but take the pits out!)
3/4 c dried apple slices
1 T cinnamon
1 T apple butter or applesauce

Process nuts in food processor until coarsely ground.  Add remaining ingredients and process until the mixture comes together and the nuts are finely ground.  (The mixture shouldn't be too wet or dry, but easy to roll into balls).  Roll mixture into balls (I made mine into balls that were about 1 1/2 inches in diameter) or press into a pan to make bars.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer.  You can eat these straight from the freezer, as they don't completely harden.  Enjoy!

Paleo Fruit Pizza

My mom has always made THE BEST fruit pizza- you know, the kind with a chewy sugar cookie crust (my mom made hers with lot of butter and a secret ingredient-cream of tartar-which made it even better than using store bought cookie dough).  Needless to say, when I cut gluten and refined sugar out of my diet, traditional fruit pizza was out.  For a long time now I've thought about trying to make a paleo version of fruit pizza and with Rem's encouragement I finally got around to it!  The crust is a rich, crumbly short bread, spread with a thin layer of coconut frosting, then topped with cooked autumn fruit.  In the spirit of fall flavors, I added some cinnamon and cardamom to each component as well.  The remnants in this picture?  Yeh, that's all that was left after the day I made it.  Needless to say, this satisfied my craving for fruit pizza.  I have to say, my mom's is still the best, but this one comes in a close second!  Now Rem and I are playing a game of chicken, slowly stealing small bites since neither of us wants to be the one to eat the last piece.  I have a feeling it will disappear tonight...

Paleo Fruit Pizza

Crust:

½ c melted coconut oil

5 T maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch salt

½ c coconut flour

¼ c arrowroot starch/powder

1 tsp each cinnamon and cardamom

Mix all ingredients with a fork.  Let sit 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  When it's done, the crust should be JUST beginning to brown around the edges.  Let crust cool, then frost and pour fruit on top. 

Frosting:

¼ c canned coconut milk

¼ c melted coconut butter (warm, but not hot)

1 T raw honey

1 tsp each cinnamon and cardamom

Beat with electric mixer until smooth.  Spread onto crust once it is cool.

Fruit Topping:

2 pears

4 plums

1 apple

1 T raw honey

1 tsp each cinnamon and cardamom

Chop fruit into small pieces and saute over medium heat in 1 T butter.  Add 1 T raw honey and cinnamon and cardamom while sauteing.  Cook until fruit is soft.  Let cool before pouring on crust.  

Peach Cobbler (no gluten, no sugar)

I'm slightly obsessed with small bowls and spoons.  I love eating out of them and with them, and I especially love baking in these "cocottes"!  They're tiny crocks that hold about 1 1/2 cups.  I haven't made anything in them for a while now, but last night I seized the opportunity to make some mini desserts!  Our produce share from our CSA this week included fresh, ripe, organic peaches!  So yummy!  Well it's hard to eat that many fresh peaches before they go bad, so I asked Rem what kind of "baked good" sounded good with peaches.  Peach cobbler was his answer!  Fast forward to 1 1/2 hours later, and the house was filled with the wonderful smell of fresh peaches baking.  

I made this recipe in 4 small crocks, but you could also use ramekins.  Or, you could double the recipe and bake it in a 8x8 baking dish or a pie dish.  You could also use another type of fruit, such as apples, pears, or berries.  This recipe is already gluten and sugar-free, but you could also make it dairy-free by using coconut oil and coconut milk instead of grass fed butter and milk.  I hope you enjoy this comforting cobbler as much as we did!

Peach Cobbler

Adapted from Paleo Comfort Foods

6 ripe, organic peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/4 c coconut flour
90 g pecans, finely chopped (if you don't have a food scale, measure out about 1 cup of whole pecans, then finely chop them)
1 tsp baking powder
1 T cinnamon
1/4 c melted, grass fed butter (you could also use coconut oil- I actually used about 1/8 cup butter and 1/8 c coconut oil because I didn't have enough butter)
1/4 c whole, grass fed milk OR 1/4 c coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. First, melt your butter or coconut oil.  Use a bit of it to grease 4 mini crocks or ramekins (dishes that hold about 1 1/2 cups).  Let it cool a bit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  
2. Peel and dice your peaches, then divide them evenly into the crocks.  
3. Chop pecans.
4. Combine pecans, coconut flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  
5. Pour melted butter into dry mixture, then add the milk and vanilla.  Stir the entire mixture together.  It seems thin at first but thickens up quickly!  You will end up with a thick mixture that you can scoop onto the peaches.
6.  Divide the topping evenly among the crocks, spreading it smooth on top of the peaches.
7.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 
8.  Eat warm!  Save any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a great alternative to traditional gluten and refined sugar-filled chocolate chip cookies.  Right now I'm watching This is 40 and it's at the part when the mom is getting rid of everything in their house with gluten and sugar.  How funny!   

Try these cookies... you'll love them!  

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free and Refined Sugar-free)

Adapted from Against All Grain

1/2 c (4 oz) organic, grass grazed butter (I use a brand from a local dairy)
1/2 c coconut palm sugar (I use Madhava brand)
4 T (84 g) raw honey
4 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 c (360 g) almond meal
4 T (28 g) coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I use coarse kosher salt)
1 c enjoy life mini chocolate chips OR other dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Soften butter in microwave (melted is fine too).  Add coconut palm sugar, honey, vanilla, and egg and cream until fluffy.  Add dry ingredients (almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt) and beat until well combined.  Stir in chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate.  Scoop by medium scoopfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets and flatten gently.  Bake 10-12 min.  Cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes then remove to rack to cool the rest of the way.  Store in the fridge or freezer.  I recommend the freezer!  They stay perfectly chewy and can be eaten directly from the freezer.  This recipe makes around 30 cookies.

Banana Bread Cookies

The first time I made these cookies I ate 3 right when they came out of the oven, and I think I've been eating about 2 a day since then.  I think I need to cut back... but hey, these are full of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats from the bananas, eggs, and coconut, and I feel good when I eat them.  I'm going to keep buying ripe bananas so I can make them every time I run out!  Maybe eventually I'll get tired of eating them and try something new... but not yet.  I don't have much else to say here except for: these are good, you should try them.  

Banana Bread Cookies

Adapted from PaleOMG

1/4 c coconut butter (or any type of natural nut butter would probably work just as well!), warmed to a liquid state (I used Marantha Coconut Butter, which they carry at Kroger)
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 T coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 T cinnamon (or less if you're not a huge cinnamon fan)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, warm coconut butter in microwave on 50% setting, 30 seconds at a time until there are no more solid chunks.  (If you use nut butter, you may not need to microwave it at all).  
3. Add 3 bananas to the coconut butter and beat with electric mixer.  
4. Next, add the eggs and vanilla, beat again until smooth.  
5. Then add coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Beat again until smooth.  
6. With large cookie scoop (1/4 c), spoon batter onto baking sheet.  (It should make 10-13 cookies).  
7. Bake 22-25 minutes or until cookies are no longer jiggly.  Let cool on wire rack.  Enjoy!  These are great right out of the oven, refrigerated, or frozen (give them a few minutes before you try to bite in).  

Banana Brown Rice Pancakes

I had brown rice flour and potato starch leftover from a (failed) sweet potato pierogi recipe we tried a while ago, so as I looked for a way to use these ingredients I found a pancake recipe on the side of a Bob's Red Mill coconut flour bag.  I adapted it to create these yummy pancakes!  They're thick, doughy, and just slightly sweet.  (If you like light and fluffy pancakes, these are probably not for you).  If you use chia seeds they have a surprise little crunch as well.  I absolutely love these pancakes!  They freeze extremely well so don't be afraid to make a whole batch (which makes 16 pancakes).  Just reheat for about 30 seconds in the microwave.  

Banana Brown Rice Pancakes

Adapted from Bob's Red Mill

1 c brown rice flour (Bob's Red Mill)

1/3 c coconut flour (Bob's Red Mill)

2 T potato starch (Bob's Red Mill) 
1 T baking powder
1 T coconut sugar
1 T cinnamon
2 mashed, ripe bananas
1 1/2 c canned coconut milk OR 1 1/2 c whole grass fed milk (Snowville Creamery)
2 T coconut oil OR grass fed butter, melted
1 T chia seed + 3 T water OR 2 eggs (if using chia, mix together chia and water in a small bowl and let sit for 15 minutes, or until it forms somewhat of a gel)
extra coconut oil or grass fed butter for the skillet

Mix together the brown rice flour, coconut flour, potato starch, baking powder, coconut sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Then mix bananas, milk, oil/butter, and chia seeds/eggs in a medium bowl.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until everything is well combined.
Heat a few tablespoons of coconut oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, drop batter by large scoopfuls (about 1/4 cup) onto the pan and spread the batter evenly into a flatter circle. Cook for a few minutes on one side, then flip and continue cooking for a few more minutes.  Makes about 16 pancakes.  

Pumpkin Ice Cream and Maple Candied Walnuts

As promised, here are the desserts we made for our holiday dinner last weekend: Pumpkin Ice Cream and Maple Candied Walnuts!  We own an ice cream maker, but I've only ever tried making ice cream once before.  I attempted making peach ice cream, but renamed it "peach dessert" since it didn't quite have the texture or consistency of ice cream.  It was a tasty dessert, but not quite ice cream per se.  This time around I wanted to make pumpkin ice cream.  I did a lot of research and reading to come up with this recipe.  I knew I wanted to use Snowville Creamery's whole, grass-fed milk, and local honey (that we got from our friend John!).  I also didn't want to have to mess around with adding eggs (which many ice creams require).  Finally I came up with the following recipe, inspired by many different pumpkin ice cream recipes out there.  I also learned that adding a bit of alcohol to ice cream keeps it softer and more "scoopable," so I tried adding some bourbon to my ice cream and it really did the trick!  The ice cream was easy to scoop, even after a few days in the freezer.  I recommend making this as a special holiday treat!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 c whole grass-fed milk
2/3 c honey 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp good quality bourbon

Mix all ingredients with the whisk attachment on an electric mixer until well combined.   Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions, 15-20 minutes.  I recommend pouring the mixture in to the ice cream maker slowly- that's what I did and it seemed to work well.  (Most ice cream makers require the main compartment to be frozen before churning ice cream, so plan ahead and freeze this piece at least 24 hours before you plan to make the ice cream).  After 15-20 minutes the ice cream should be the consistency of soft serve.  You can eat it just like this OR freeze it in a shallow container.  Mine kept well for 5 days in the freezer.  I haven't experimented enough to know how long it would stay good past 5 days, so let me know if you try it.  This makes about 3 cups of ice cream.  

Maple Candied Walnuts

These are amazing and incredibly addictive on their own.  I've made them twice already this week and have eaten more than I care to admit.  They are also a great topping for the pumpkin ice cream! 

1 cup walnuts
1/4 c grade B maple syrup
1/8 tsp coarse salt

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the walnuts, maple syrup and salt.  Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the maple syrup has caramelized (the walnuts will be completely coated in syrup and there will be little left sticking to the pan), about 5-7 minutes.  Spread walnuts out onto parchment paper and let cool.  Store in an airtight container on the counter (if they last long enough to put in a container- I'm telling you, these are addictive!)

Brownie Bites

These brownie bites please any palate and are a perfect tiny snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth without any guilt!

Brownie Bites

Originally from Detoxinista

1 c almond meal

½ c cocoa powder

½ c honey

½ c coconut oil (melted and cooled a bit)

3 eggs (wait until the oil has cooled to add these)

1 T vanilla

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Grease mini muffin tins with coconut oil.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until a gooey, thick batter forms.  Spoon batter into tins and bake 10-15 min or until brownies are puffed up and spring back to the touch.  Cool in pan 20 min then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. 

These freeze well and can be eaten directly from frozen (as they do not harden too much).

I used a small cookie scoop to scoop the batter evenly into 24 mini muffin tins, then but the remaining batter (5 small scoops) in a ramekin.  I baked the ramekin for 10-15 min as well.  The center did not set, but remained incredibly fudgy!  It was amazing.  So, if you want to experiment with baking the whole recipe in ramekins and make very fudgy brownies, let me know how it turns out! 

Macronutrient Breakdown

For 29 brownie bites, each has approximately 84 calories, 6 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g protein, 6 g fat.

Paleo Apple Recipes and Things I'm Loving Right Now

Paleo Apple Recipes

When I went apple picking a few weekends ago I knew I would need tons of apples so that I could bake with them!  I love eating fresh picked apples, but I like them even more combined with cinnamon in baked apple dishes!  

The first recipe I made is a favorite of mine that I created this summer: paleo apple cinnamon muffins.  When I make these muffins I have to be careful not to eat the whole batch because they are that good.  Rem loves the Banana Blueberry Muffins we make, but these apple cinnamon ones are my favorite!  They are super simple to make and make your house smell heavenly.  

The second recipe I made was a new creation inspired by lots of research around the web on grain and refined-sugar free apple crisps.  My childhoood favorite had lots of oats, butter, and brown sugar.  It was delicious and highly addicting.  But I wanted a version that I could feel good about putting into my body, and even eat for breakfast!  This was the first time I made this particular apple crisp recipe and it turned out great!  Is it just me, or is the best part of making apple crisp eating the clumps of topping?  Somehow I managed to keep myself from eating all of the topping this time, but I did eat almost the whole pan of apple crisp.  I had to remind Rem to try a bite before it was gone, and I think one bite was all that he got!

Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins

1 c unsweetened applesauce

¼ c coconut oil

5 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ c coconut flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Brand)

1 tsp baking soda

2 T cinnamon

1 apple, chopped (with skin on)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line muffin pan with 12 muffin liners.  If your coconut oil has become solid, heat it in the microwave with the applesauce until melted (*don’t melt the oil by itself, because if you add cold applesauce to it it will harden).  Cool for a few minutes then whisk in the 5 eggs and the vanilla.  Sprinkle coconut flour, baking soda, and cinnamon on top and then stir with a spoon until well combined.  Then stir in chopped apple.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Spoon batter evenly into 12 muffin cups (I use a large ¼ c ice cream scoop).  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 min or until toothpick comes out clean.  As soon as you take the muffins out of the oven, drizzle a very small amount of honey on top of each muffin (*optional).  Cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack.  Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 1 month. 

Paleo Apple Crisp

5 assorted apples (I used Jonathon, Jonagold, and Gala apples)

Lemon juice

Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger

2 T coconut oil

½ c almond meal

¼ c ground flaxseed

¼ c unsweetened shredded coconut

¼ c slivered almonds

Cinnamon

½ T vanilla

Drizzle honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use apple, peeler, corer, slicer to core and slice apples, then cut each apple ring in half OR if you don’t have a peeler, corer, slicer, cut your apples into thin slices.  Toss apple slices with a few tablespoons of lemon juice, a generous amount of cinnamon, and a few shakes of nutmeg and ginger.  Place apple in 8x8 pan greased with coconut oil.  Melt the 2 T coconut oil in a medium bowl, then stir in almond flour, flaxseed, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Mix until combined but still crumbly.  Spoon over apples then drizzle honey over the whole pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min.  I recommend serving this with plain Greek yogurt! 

Things I’m loving right now… 

source: http://toucanfoods.com/healthy/2012/01/25/snowville-creamery-%E2%80%9Cbetter-than-organic%E2%80%9D-pasture-grazed-dairy/

Snowville Creamery Grass Grazed Milk

Based on a lot of our recent research and our values about the food we eat, we decided to be more proactive about buying and eating mainly grass fed beef.  In fact, we found a farm that sells grass fed beef and bought half of a cow!  In the same vein, we decided to start buying milk from grass fed cows.  We’ve been trying to find a brand of milk that is isn’t crazy expensive, and happily discovered that our local Giant Eagle carries milk from Snowville Creamery, an Ohio farm!  Milk from grass fed cows is better for the cows, for the environment, and for our health.  Visit the Snowville Creamery website to find out more about their company and the benefits of their grass grazed milk  

source: http://www.tuaw.com/2009/09/29/dropbox-the-iphone-app-has-dropped/

Dropbox

Dropbox is a free online service that lets you save your files so that they can be accessed from any computer or mobile device that you use.  You set up a “drop box” account, download the service to your computer and a drop box folder becomes available on your computer.  Then you can save any document in the drop box folder.  When you go to use a computer other than your own, just sign in on dropbox.com and your files are there ready to be opened!  This is amazing for me as a teacher because I previously found myself sending tons of e-mails with attachments of the files I needed to print or work on at school.  Now I can just save everything to drop box and it’s available anywhere! 

source: http://willworkforfoodgirl.com/2010/09/08/the-great-peach-crunch-experiment/

If You Care muffin liners

These are THE BEST muffins liners ever.  They are coated with silicone so your baked good won’t stick to them.  They are also unbleached and made from 100% recycled materials, which makes them very environmentally-friendly!  I originally found these at Whole Foods, but after my first box was gone I ordered them from amazon.com.  I decided it would be frugal to just order them in bulk, so I ordered a package with 24 60-count boxes.  Yep, that’s 1440 muffin liners.  I think I’m set for the next 10 years or so!