German Apple Pancakes

Who knew this could be soo much fun! Trying a new recipe pretty much everyday creates a sense of adventure and accomplishment that I never thought I would find in cooking....... I usually despise spending so much time in the kitchen.  Just goes to show, You become/accomplish what you focus on... Focus on how hard  this Paleo thing is... and it will be! Focus on how easy and fun this Paleo thing can be, and it IS! Amazing....
OK, enough of the "fluff" to help motivate you..... Just make these amazing German Apple Pancakes and you'll fall into the cult easily!!

Thank you Civilized Caveman for this wonderful delicisiousness

Servings: 8 with smalll ramikens 4 with large ramikens
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 1 Cup Almond Milk
• 3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
• 2 Tsp Vanilla
• 2 Tsp Pure Maple Syrup
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/8 Tsp Nutmeg
• 2 Apples, cored and diced
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Raw Organic Honey
• 1 Tsp Cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Nutmeg
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• Handful of crushed pecans

Process:

1. Preheat Oven to 425 Degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla, and Maple Syrup
3. In a small bowl, stir coconut flour, nutmeg, and baking soda
4. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients and beat well to combine, set aside while you prepare the apples
5. In a small frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp coconut oil and raw organic honey
6. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg and juice of 1/2 Lemon and cook for 1 minute
7. Add in your apples and sauté until all your apples are nicely coated
8. Evenly divide your apple mixture between 8 Ramekins greased with coconut oil and then evenly divide your egg mixture on top of the apples between the 8 Ramekins
9. Place your Ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 20 Minutes at 425 and then reduce heat to 375 and cook for an additional 20 Minutes
10. Sprinkle with Pecans when removed from the oven
11. Enjoy

Moroccan Chicken and Broccoli with Riced Cauliflower

So my daughter Kaytlyn was over yesterday and sees my Paleo cookbooks sitting on the counter. She picks one up and starts perusing the pages... then she says... "this stuff looks pretty good"... So, I thought I'd better seize the opportunity and chatted about what to make for dinner... I chose Moroccan Chicken from Mark Sissons, Primal Blueprint Cookbook
So, we made dinner together... It was a great dinner! Not because the dish was good, but because Kaytlyn and I prepared it together AND she liked it!!

This dish, more like a stew and can be fairly spicy!  If you don't like spicy, cut back on the  turmeric and the cayenne pepper... another alteration we made was to cut the amount of cinnamon in 1/2, Kaytlyn doesn't like cinnamon very much... in my opinion, I think it was the perfect amount, otherwise I think it would have been a bit on the sweeter side.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons of oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon, finely chopped Ginger (if  not using fresh, cut it down by 3/4)
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. Cayenne (adjust in small doses to turn up/down the spiciness)
4 Chicken Breasts ( the cookbook calls for thighs, but we prefer breasts..)
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups of water (chicken stock would be a good substitute to add a richer flavor)
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 cups of Broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (recipe calls green beans)
1/4 finely chopped mint ( I omitted the mint, didn't seem to miss it!)
Juice from 1 lemon

4 servings

Saute onion, garlic, and ginger in oil until soft and slightly browned. Add spices and saute a minute more. Then add chicken, tomatoes, water, cilantro and sliced lemon. Simmer with a lid for 30 minutes. Add green beans (if your using them) Otherwise, steam the broccoli first, then add to the dish. Simmer for a few more minutes, just enough for flavors to mix in with the broccoli.
Serve over "riced" Cauliflower (see below for directions to prepare)

Cauliflower Rice:
Cut cauliflower in to small florets. If you're adding the cauliflower rice to a dish that will simmer on the stove, there is no need to pre-cook. If you're serving it as a side dish, then steam it slightly before grating.. If using a food processor, use the grating blade. If grating by hand, mind your fingertips!

Taco Salad with Coconut flour tortillas...

Day ONE of the Paleo Challenge and off to a great start!!

Sooo Yummy!

Tex Mex Coconut Flour Tortillas (click the link for the recipe) and Taco Seasoning, Thanks to Mark's Daily Apple and his posted recipe we had a great dinner..

The Taco Seasoning can be used with just about any meat... I used Organic Hamburger this time.
But it's really good with Bison or Pork as well.

Today's post is short and sweet as I am currently "experimenting" in kitchen... Cilantro Ceasar Dresssing seems like it would be a great addition to this Taco Salad.. so I'll post the recipe when I get it figured out...

Enjoy!!

Stay Focused!  This isn't as hard as you think!!

Whipped Cocoa Frosting

Just a quick update for those of you who NEED your chocolate fix during the Nutrition Challenge...

I recently made those Yummy Mocha Chocolate Cupcakes again, but this time I changed it up a bit..
Tried Heavy Whipping cream with a Tablespoon of Organic Pure Maple Syrup and some Dark Cocoa Powder and a sprinkling of Amberlyn Dark Chocolate.... Let's just say the results where.... well, you judge for yourselves based on the photo of Jeff and Michelle's faces as they ate, not just one, but several!!

The cupcake recipe can be found right here on my blog: Mocha Chocolate Cupcakes

To make the Whipped Cream topping, pour some heavy whipping cream (organic of course) into a mixing bowl (I don't measure, but to top 24 small cupcakes I would say 2 cups would be good),
add approx. 1 tablespoon of Maple syrup (organic and pure.. NO Mrs. Butterworths!!), add approx. 1/4 cup (or to taste) of Dark Cocoa Powder... Mix with handheld mixer until liquid turns to whipping cream consistency..
Hint: Refrigerate whipped frosting for a bit before icing the cupcakes.

Grate a small chunk of Amberlyn (paleo friendly) dark chocolate and sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!!!!

Please Note:  Moderation is the key!  When using chocolate please keep in mind that the purer and darker the chocolate the more "paleo" it's considered... Milk chocolate and White chocolate aren't allowed...  If anyone out there has an issue with using chocolate while eating paleo, please understand we all have our "allowances" and exceptions, as few people are 100%, absolute strict paleo hunting and gathering our own foods from the wild... most of us have to hunt and gather fighting off the crowds in the aisles of Trader Joe's and Whole foods, etc...

Roasted Garlic Chicken and Garlic Sauce

Roasted Garlic Chicken and Garlic Sauce.... Amazingly good!

This Post-Blog was first done back in January of 2010:

Wow... We've come a long way baby!!

Original Post:
This Paleo "thing" has turned out to be a lot more fun and quite a bit easier than I had originally thought. I originally had nightmares of "zone challenge" past and was anticipating anxiety attacks and melt downs (again!). For those of you who weren't around for the '09 Challenge, We "Zoned"... Let's just say.. Susan wasn't meant to Zone.. She was meant to Hunt and Gather Paleo Style.

Turns out it's pretty darn simple! Protein, some carbs and some fats......when your hungry....simple! Of course it is a tad bit more complicated than that, but if you're thinking about going Paleo or are looking for more information on Paleo, then I suggest you do some homework and read up on the subject.........sorry, not gonna do it for ya!
But, I will share my recipes, my successes and my failures (yep, I have those!). Along with some links to other great sources that I have stumbled upon during my journey.

Well, Here goes, my first Recipe to Share!

Disclaimer: I don't measure......so you'll have to "wing" it! :-) I can't take full credit for this recipe, I took part of it from a cookbook and tweaked it to make it Paleo.

Ingredients:
Whole "organic" Free range chicken (no cages allowed!)
Garlic/parsley seasoning from Costco, it's just garlic powder and dried parsley (or garlic powder will work)
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Lemon
1 or 2 whole heads of unpeeled garlic (depends on how much you like garlic, I use 1 1/2)
1 stalk of celery
A couple of carrots
half of small red onion
parsley, if desired
Arrowroot (use about 1/3 as much as you would if you were to use cornstarch or flour to thicken a sauce)
Asparagus (or any other veggies you want)

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees, while preparing:
Do the normal "wash n rinse" on the Chicken, Trim excess fat
take out inards (cook in a saucepan and give em to the animals!)
Slice off top quarter of each garlic head to expose the cloves. separate and discard loose papery skin, but don't peel the clove. Put half of the cloves in the cavity of the chicken.
Sprinkle seasonings inside cavity as well and place a lemon wedge or two in there. (tie ends of legs together with string, if you want, I don't)
Rub remaining seasoning on the outside of the chicken and drizzle with juice from remaining lemon wedges.
Coarsely chop your veggies to be roasted and place around the chicken along with remaining garlic cloves.
Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes covered. remove cover and continue baking for 15 - 30 minutes (or until internal temp is 180 degrees)
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so.
Prepare Asparagus or other veggies as you normally would

Meanwhile, remove garlic cloves from in and around the chicken. Gently squeeze the flesh from the skins and mash in a saucepan.
Remove Roasted Veggies, cover and set aside

Strain juices from roasting pan into saucepan with the mashed garlic.
drain off fat from juices
Add seasonings (if you want, I usually add fresh ground pepper and a bit of parsley)
use a tad bit of water and mix in the Arrowroot.
(this will work as a thickening agent for more of a light gravy consistency)
Boil over medium heat, just until it begins to thicken a bit. (stir frequently)

Carve Chicken ( or rip it to shreds like the caveman would have)
Serve with Garlic sauce drizzled over chicken and veggies.

I didn't break down into blocks.....we are doing paleo, but if you're zoning, you know how to weigh and measure! The scale is my enemy!!

PS: I place this in the oven (my oven has a delayed start option) on my way out the door to work out, so it's pretty much done when I return home, just have to prepare the veggies and the sauce.

Note: The Picture featured above is from the cookbook: Green Beans are not a recommended Paleo food.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry...

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry (or beef, bison, pork, shrimp.. any protein will do!)

Shopping List:
Toasted Sesame oil
1 Tbsp.  minced ginger
1 Tbsp. minced Garlic
1 lb. of cubed Chicken (protein)
2 Cups broccoli
1/2 Cup water Chestnuts
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup of Shiitake mushrooms (optional)
1/4 sliced or chopped almonds
2 cups chopped cabbage (I use red and green)
1/4 cup gr. onions, chopped
1/4 cup coconut or bragg's amino's (replaces the soy sauce)
Sesame seeds

1. Add to Heated Wok, Sesame oil minced ginger and garlic, saute for about a minute.
2. Add Chicken (protein) cook, stirring frequently for about 4 minutes (or until cooked)
3. Add Broccoli, water chestnuts, celery and mushrooms, saute for another minute or two
4. Add almonds, cabbage and gr. onion, stir for a few minutes.
5. Add Bragg's Aminos (or coconut aminos)
6. Remove from heat and garnish with Sesame seeds........

ENJOY!!

I took this recipe from Make it Paleo Cookbook and tweaked it just a bit...

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples

This recipe was discovered at backtoherroots.com  Absolutely Yummy!!! 
I did tweak the recipe a tad to make it Paleo, but honestly it was pretty darn close already.

Ingredients:


•1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved

•1 large tart apple, cored and diced

•4 slices, thick-cut nitrate free bacon, cooked and crumbled

•1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

•1-2 tablespoons of Pure Organic Maple Syrup (start with 1Tbsp. as it can get really sweet with 2)

•1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or substitute apple cider vinegar

•Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375°

2.In a large bowl, combine sprouts, apple and bacon and stir until evenly distributed.

3.In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar.

4.Pour olive oil mixture over sprout mixture and toss to coat.

5.Pour out the sprout mixture in one layer onto a greased cookie sheet. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

6.Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, or until sprouts are tender and brown.

The saltiness of the bacon compliments the sweetness of the apples and maple extremely well!
A great compliment to Pork Loin or even Chicken.

Enjoy!