Monthly Archives: January 2015

Better late than never! (Chewy molasses cookies)

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Oh man, I’m so sorry. I’m 4 days late on this post. I’ve been wanting to blog every night, but it just has not happened…
So last week I said that I would journal all of my food and drinks and blog it so that people can see how easy it it to eat paleo. Maybe some of you can get some ideas or inspiration from my journal.
Before I start posting my journal I have a little clarification or confession to make. I decided last Sunday that I want to have a glass of wine every night because of the health benefits.
Doctors even reccommend it.
Of course the week I choose to journal is the very first week I decide to have a glass a day…it really felt weird for me to actually write down, on paper, every single night that I had one or two glasses of wine. I felt like a true wino. Lol! Hopefully my heart reaps the benefits 🙂
I do love me some red wine….
So here goes. I’m going to start with Sunday. Retail calendar is Sunday through Saturday, and I’ve worked retail as long as I could legally hold a job, so it’s a bit of a routine for me.
SUNDAY:
My nephews 2nd Birthday Party Day
-breakfast-home made paleo pancakes with pure maple syrup and scrambled eggs with earl grey tea with honey
-snack-cashew cookie larabar for snack with water
-lunch- chicken taco (minus the tortilla) so meat, onion, and cilantro. Two bites of rice and beans. Two bites of birthday cake and water.
-dinner- spaghetti squash with trader joes (all natural and no sugar added) sauce with a glass of water
-dessert-chocolate,banana, almond milk, flax smoothie
MONDAY-
Work day, packed lunch
-breakfast- egg dish (made on Saturday afternoon for the week) and one left over pancake with earl grey tea with honey
-snack-banana with almond butter and water
for snack
-lunch- left over spaghetti squash spaghetti and water
-snack- carrot cake larabar snack
-dinner- crock pot Hawaiian pork, cauliflower rice and sweet potato dinner
-dessert- glass of wine and 2 72% dark chocolates
TUESDAY
Work day, packed random left overs
-breakfast- egg dish and English breakfast tea with honey
-too busy for snack 🙁
-lunch- left over spaghetti sauce (super meaty no noodles needed) 1/2 baked sweet potato, cauliflower “rice” and some water
– snack-blueberry larabar and water
– dinner- left over Hawaiian pork, extra seasoning added with paleo tortillas and guacamole
– dessert- glass of wine and 2 pieces of 72% dark chocolates
WEDNESDAY
Normal work day
-breakfast- egg dish inside a left over paleo tortilla and English breakfast tea with honey
-snack- banana with trader joes almond butter
-lunch- 2 left over pork tacos and water and a mint medly tea from Starbucks with two honeys
-dinner- spinach salad with oil and vinegar and 2 slices of gluten free papa murphys take an bake pizza (not my cooking night 🙂 ) and a glass of red wine
THURSDAY
-breakfast- egg dish and breakfast blend tea with agave
-snack- banana with almond butter and water
-lunch- 2 left over paleo pork tacos and water
-snack- blueberry larabar with water
-dinner-homemade paleo pho “noodle” soup
-dessert- 2 glasses of wine and a piece of dark chocolate
FRIDAY
-breakfast- egg dish and English breakfast tea with almond milk and honey
-snack- banana with almond butter
-lunch- 2 paleo tortillas with left over pork -and Starbucks mint tea (unsweetened)
-snack- raisins and an apple and water
-dinner- left over pho “noodle” soup
-dessert- a glass of red wine and 3 homemade paleo molasses cookies (oops! Lol, they were so yummy fresh from the oven!)
SATURDAY
-breakfast- egg dish with tea and honey
– snack- one molasses cookie
-snack- 1/2 mama chia vitality drink
-lunch- carls jr all natural burger lettuce wrap with no sauce, 3 fried zucchini (not paleo, but had to try) water
-snack- 1 molasses cookie and decaf mint tea
-dinner- rotisserie chicken, spinach salad with oil and vinegar and cauliflower garlic “bread” and a glass of red wine
– snack- 1/2 bottle of synergy berry kombucha

So there you have it. A paleo week. Pretty boring because I was able to eat a ton of leftovers. Our crockpot pork was 5lbs instead of 3 so it lasted most of the week. Also, I decided to do a double batch of tortillas because I love them so much.
I’m learning the trick is to make a good size dinner each night so that you have lunch to pack the next day. Be sure to pack lots of healthy snacks so that you aren’t tempted to cheat, and drink lots of water.
I shop every weekend. I always bake some type of dessert (usually cookies) to get me through the week. Egg or breakfast dish is a must for the week too. I try to make one every Sunday. I try to plan out my shopping list for whatever meals and desserts that I want to try to make for the week. Honestly, I google paleo recipes and pick ones that sound interesting and buy the stuff to make them.
Some recipes are awesome and I add them to my list, and others are not so awesome, and we just don’t make them again. (More often than not, we love the new recipes!)
Now that it’s been about 6 months my old staples are a thing of the past.
We have new staples, like almond butter and coconut flour, yams, tons of eggs, honey, and many others (as you can see in the photo)
Recently, a friend if mine, who I haven’t seen in a while said to me “this paleo thing is really working for you!”
I guess all this shopping and cooking is paying off! 🙂

That’s pretty cool, if you ask me!

Paleo Molasses Cookies
2 eggs whisked
1cup almond butter
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350
Mix eggs almond butter and molasses
In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients
Mix half dry mixture into wet then mix in remainder
Line baking sheet with parchment paper
Drop tablespoon size balls onto sheet and bake 10 minutes (do not overcook. You want them to remain chewy)
And enjoy!
Another awesome recipe found on www.paleomg.com

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One hundred and seventy five (clean-out-your-fridge frittata)

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Alright, confession time. I am completely obsessed with Downton Abbey. I cannot wait for Monday nights when I get to watch Sunday nights episode on Hulu.
At first it seemed stuffy and boring, but I was absolutely wrong!! It’s like a soap opera, but better. And I LOVE it.
If you can watch it from the first season, do it!! Tonight did not disappoint!
Anyway, today is a bit of a milestone, 175 day paleo for me!! Time has gone by very quickly, and each day is easier and easier. Eating this way feels very natural now. For something a little different, I’ve decided that this week I will keep a journal of everything that I eat and blog it at the end of the week. Maybe it will help some of you who want to try paleo but feel overwhelmed. I’ll include everything I eat and drink, snacks, meals, and beverages.
I know for me, there are days sometimes when I’m just kinda stumped and I don’t know what to cook, so hopefully this little journal will be helpful for all of us 🙂
At first I had a hard time picking out paleo snacks. It was also difficult to find packaged items at the store that were paleo friendly. Now I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on what to buy. Maybe my favorites will help you with your shopping. Certain stores carry certain things. It all depends on what you like. I’ll try to include stores where I buy special items in my journal too.
Speaking about stores, this past weekend I was out of town and decided to stop by a Whole Foods for the first time. We don’t have them in our area, and I’ve heard so many blogs mention it, so I’ve been wanting to check it out. (So exciting to try a new grocery store, lol! It’s the little things!!) I decided to buy a sample size of cashew butter and today I tried it.
Normally my breakfast snack is a banana with almond butter, but today I got to try cashew butter and it was delish! It is usually pretty pricey so make sure you like it before you invest in a $14 can of it! Personally, I loved it. A great alternative to almond butter. A bit sweeter and creamier too. Next time I head to the store I will definitely pick some up. I am looking forward to trying it in some new recipes!
For now, I will leave you with a recipe that I created last weekend, that I really enjoyed so I made a version of it again tonight. I call it “clean out your fridge fritatta”

1lb breakfast sausage
8-9 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1-2 carrots shredded
2 green onions
Handful of spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp dill

Any veggies that you like (mushrooms, onions, peppers, tomato, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 350
Grease a 9×11 Pyrex pan
Brown 1lb of breakfast sausage in a pan
While sausage is cooking, shred a carrot in the food processor
Layer the carrot and then sausage in the Pyrex
In your food processor combine 8-9 eggs, salt, pepper, cumin, dill, almond milk, and any other spices that you like.
Pulse egg/spice mixture for a couple seconds (only until combined, do not blend until frothy, eggs will not cook if blended too long)
Pour eggs onto meat/carrot mixture
Tear up a handful of spinach and sprinkle on top of eggs
Sprinkle green onion on top
Bake for 30 mins

You can add in any other veggie that you have in your fridge. I’ve done tomato, mushrooms, white onion, and bell pepper before. Every week it’s a little different.
I slice off a piece each morning and enjoy it, on the go, in the car, on the way to work.
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Spoiled (cucumber salad)

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I have gotta say, California weather this winter has really been beautiful. It drops down to about 35 in the early morning, but during the day its been mostly sunny and mid 60s. I was a little bummed about it in December when we were all trying to feel the Christmas spirit. Listening to Christmas carols and
decorating our tree with the sun shining bright just felt strange, but now that it’s January I think I’m good with it.
At work all of the Christmas decorations are completely down and put away, and we just finished up inventory. Our house is all put back to normal too.
I think if it was up to me, I’d love to have a month or two of fall in October and November and then a month of super cold in December, a few months of spring, and then summer! That would be awesome! But we do need rain here desperately. So I won’t pray for summer quite yet.
Anyway, a few days ago the weather was nice and I had some crisp cucumbers in the fridge, so I made up my first paleo friendly recipe on my own!
It was cool and refreshing and everyone in my house loved it!
Give it a shot one day when your needing a little summer in your life, or at least on your plate!

Cucumber Salad
1-2 cucumbers chopped
3 Roma tomatoes
Fresh juice from a slice of lime
2-3 green onions chopped
1-2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
A pinch or two of salt
(I didn’t add any, but avocado would be great in this too!)
Chop all ingredients. Combine in a bowl. Stir. Enjoy!

P.S. My apologies to my friends and family outside of California, don’t hate me for this post!

There’s only 3 of us in my house, so this was enough for us.
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for more people. IMG_5053.JPG

Pa pa pa paleo pizza! (Paleo pizza crust)

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I am so thankful that my husband and son eat paleo with me. They are both willing to try new things. Sometimes my new recipes get a thumbs up and sometimes they do not! Either way it has been really fun trying paleo versions of our favorite foods.
Recently I have noticed more people showing an interest in paleo. Most of the people I talk to that are interested in changing the way they eat haven’t done it because they think the other people in their house won’t like it or won’t want to try it with them.
I know not everyone out there will have the luxury of everyone in their house eating the same way. I know that makes things more difficult.
I also know that eating this way has been amazing for me. The benefits definitely outweigh the negatives. Now that I am so committed, even when my husband is a little cheater, I’m pretty good about staying on track. And I don’t really crave the junk that I did before. It gets easier and easier every day.
At first, yes, it was a little difficult. You have to remove all of the sugar, grains, and dairy for a while before you stop craving them. At first it was hard because I just didn’t know a lot about paleo. The only other thing that was hard for me was that some of the ingredients were a little difficult to find. But you can get almost everything online or at specialty health food stores.
After about 30 days my pantry was completely converted. No more sugar, flour, chips, cookies, junk food. Instead I had almond, coconut and hazelnut flours, coconut sugar, raw honey and agave, unsweetened shredded coconut, almond butter and lots of other healthy alternatives.
So I guess what I’m getting to is, last night we were craving pizza. I went right to my google bar and looked up a paleo pizza crust recipe. The coolest part was that I already had all of the ingredients on hand. The recipe was simple and fast! I did have to stop by the store to pick up some grassfed cheese. (Because I don’t keep any in my house) and a rotisserie chicken. But everything else I already had. You can find spaghetti sauces at most grocery stores that are paleo friendly. They should not have any added sugar and all of the ingredients should be natural. (You should be able to read them all and know what they are, basically) I’ve found some at Trader Joes and also at Savemart.
Our favorite toppings are uncured salami, olives and chicken, with lots of sauce and a little bit of cheese. (Technically cheese is not paleo, but once in a great while it’s a nice treat)
This pizza is not exactly like a regular pizza, but it was delicious, and I will definitely make it again. Probably soon!!
Here’s the recipe:
2 cups of almond flour
1 cup of tapioca or arrowroot flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Grease a pizza pan (no holes) or baking sheet
Combine dry ingredients
Stir in eggs and almond milk
Using a spatula (because the dough is more like a batter than a dough) spread the mixture onto your pan
Bake for 8-12 minutes (depending on thickness)
Remove from oven, add your favorite toppings, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Note: my crust stuck to the pan a bit so be sure to grease your pan well. I think next time I will try parchment paper. Let me know what works best for you!!
Recipe courtesy of www.unrefinedkitchen.comIMG_5043.JPG