Guest Post from Jody: Finding My Inner Paula!

Everyone knows Alyssa is a HUGE fan of Paula Deen.  Alyssa found her inspiration in Paula and started her journey in learning how to cook.  (right, Paula to Paleo...I know!)

Hi, I'm Jody and I am finding my inspiration in learning how to cook in Alyssa, my best friend.

 

We work out at the same CF gym religiously and believe in eating healthy and taking care of our bodies.   Alyssa, started cooking Paleo at her home about a year ago.  I was a little bit slower on jumping on the Paleo band wagon. One, I LOVE food... this is not an understatement.  I believe food is my friend, and the idea of giving up my beloved white grains and sugar...well it seemed impossible to live that way.  I was completely wrong.  After two years of Cross fitting I am finally at the point in my life, and my age for that matter, that I have to do more than just work out to stay at the level of fitness I want to achieve.  Alyssa, started pinning recipes she was making on pinterest and posting what her and Ryan were eating on FB. I have to admit, it caught my attention.  So I started dabbling in cooking.  Back up for one minute, while I love food, I don't cook ...ANYTHING... EVER.  So for me this is all new territory.  Surprisingly, I am really good at it, for the most part.

I found a strawberry muffin recipe on pinterest the other day I was dying to try.

The first round was terrible!  But I thought what would Alyssa do??  I had enough batter to make a second batch so I adjusted the recipe by adding Ghee (one of Alyssa's, grocery list must haves) you can find in the ethnic section of your local grocer.  It is organic, clarified butter you can use in place of butter in any cooking situation..I remembered Alyssa telling me it made dishes rich and gooey so I thought I would try it.  The second batch was absolutely delicious, melt in your mouth perfect little muffins that you don't have to butter!

You can find the recipe HERE. 

I modified the recipe to make it 'more' paleo by using coconut flour instead of all purpose; coconut milk and coconut oil.  The strawberries were hand picked out of my Dad's garden.  YUMMY!

So, since Alyssa has sparked my creativity and been my inspiration to start cooking healthier "practical Paleo" foods, I am proud to announce I have made my own breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past few weeks.  I am feeling incredible, my clothes are fitting better ( loose) and I feel more energized and stronger in my workouts. Big thanks to Alyssa for starting this blog and I look forward to cooking more yummy Paleo recipes together. 

Before I leave you tonight I want to share another recipe I found on www.100daysofrealfood.com  Seriously these are the BEST pancakes I have ever had and my daughter, a picky two year old, can't get enough of them. 

2 cups whole- wheat King Arthur's organic white whole wheat flour (you could use coconut flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 3/4 cup milk ( I used coconut milk)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ( I used ghee)
2 ripe bananas, mashed

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the honey, eggs, milk and 2 T of melted butter/ghee.  Whisk together thoroughly, do not overmix.

Gently fold the mashed bananas into the batter with a spatula.

Heat a griddle over medium- high heat. Swirl enough ghee on pan until it is well coated. Add pancake batter using a soup ladle.

When the pancakes have begun to brown on the bottom, flip them and cook other side.

Serve with warm 100% Maple syrup. 

You can freeze leftovers!



Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Make no mistake - it is CRUNCH TIME people. It's already 90 degrees out and I think it's safe to say we're into swimsuit season. How did this happen so quickly?

If you feel like you just can't live without something sweet, make these. These are a big hit in my house every time. If you're not huge on coconut, I think you would be safe leaving it out. As for the coconut flour - I can't really taste it. You could also add nuts to these if you like.

Note: They're going to be a little drier than regular chocolate chip cookies, but in my opinion they are better the next day. I've heard them described as "chewy" but in a good way.

 Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Cup Raw Honey (or natural sweetener of your choice)
• 4 Omega 3 eggs
• 1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/8 Tsp sea salt
• 1/2 Cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 Cup of Enjoy Life chocolate chips

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, raw honey, eggs, vanilla extract, and sea salt. (To make your life easier, in a small bowl on the side, combine the raw honey and coconut oil and melt in the microwave before mixing it in)
3. Add in your coconut flour.
4. Stir in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips.
5. On parchment lined baking sheets, drop heaping tablespoons of cookie batter.(Ensure you form them to look like the cookies you want for a final product as these do not rise or spread like conventional cookies, which also means you can place more on a baking sheet without worrying about them touching) 
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and then enjoy with a nice cup of coconut milk.

These are from my favorite - Civilized Caveman! The link to this recipe is RIGHT HERE.

Enjoy!

Xo,
Alyssa

Paleo Bread!

This recipe is from Elena's Pantry.  I really liked it because the almond flour made it a little sweet.

The consistency is a lot like banana bread/pumpkin bread, but I find that if you a) toast it in the toaster
or b) grill it in a pan or in a panini press, it really tastes and feels like you're eating REAL bread!

I liked a small slice of this bread with breakfast - with runny eggs and turkey bacon stacked on top.

Paleo Bread

• 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 5 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil (I would recommend melting the oil in the microwave first)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Place almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt and baking soda in a food processor (I used a hand mixer rather than pull out all of the food processor's parts.)
2. Pulse ingredients together
3. Pulse in eggs, oil, honey and vinegar
4. Pour batter into a greased 7.5" x 3.5" Magic Line Loaf Pan (I greased with coconut oil.)
5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes
6. Cool and serve

The link to this recipe is RIGHT HERE.  Yay for bringing bread back!