Warm Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad

I've been eyeing this recipe for some time. I finally made up a list of items needed (most of which, I already had), and headed to the store. I absolutely LOVE sweet potatoes. Ironic, since I hated them as a kid. The bacon pieces, almonds and diced apples are the icing on the cake, as I love a bit of crunch in a salad.

Since I am the only one in my house, who will eat spinach and sweet potatoes, I cut my recipe down to one third the original. I also substituted green onions for the leeks, because I'm too cheap to spend three bucks on a bunch of leeks. :)

Warm Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 apple diced

8 strips of bacon, diced

2 leeks, thinly sliced

6 oz of fresh baby spinach

Handful of sliced almonds for garnish

Dressing

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp spicy brown mustard (natural ingredients)

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp of dried basil

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat your oven to 400. Toss the diced sweet potatoes with the coconut oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are baking, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet. Once the bacon is crispy, add the sliced leeks in with the bacon and saute for another 4-5 minutes. Put your spinach in a large salad bowl and add the bacon and leek mixture. Toss well, letting the warm bacon wilt the spinach. Add the apples and sweet potatoes to the salad and toss together. In a separate bowl whisk together the salad dressing ingredients. Pour over the salad, mix well and garnish with the sliced almonds.

Chewy Honey Nut Cookies

Chewy Honey Nut Cookies

Makes eight to twelve cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
2 tablespoons honey (raw, if you can get it)
1/4 teaspoon good-tasting pure stevia extract
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/16 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

*I also added a handful of dried cranberries.

Preheat oven to 275 (yes, 275) degrees fahrenheit.

Chop pecans, and toast them for 12 minutes. Melt butter. Stir together all ingredients except almond flour and pecans. Mix in almond flour until a smooth dough forms, then fold in nuts until dispersed throughout dough. Shape into flat cookie rounds on parchment paper. Bake for 12-18 minutes, or until slightly browned around the edges. Let cookies cool and harden for a full 10 minutes before removing from parchment.

Primal Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

3 cups of fresh blackberries

1 1/2 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds)

1 omega 3 enriched egg

2 tbsp coconut oil

A drizzle of raw organic honey

Cinnamon to taste

“So Delicious” coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350. Pour the blackberries into a pie pan. In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond meal, and coconut oil, and shake in a bunch of cinnamon. Stir well. The mixture will be really thick and clumpy. If you wish, drizzle a bit of raw organic honey on top of the blackberries. By hand, crumble the almond meal mixture on top of the blackberries and bake in your pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. Serve in bowls with cold “So Delicious” brand coconut milk poured over the top. (I used "So Delicious" Coconut Ice Cream instead ;)

Banana Ice Cream

Easy Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 Medium Bananas (frozen)

1/3 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Milk

6 Drops Liquid Stevia

Frozen No Sugar Added Berries (for topping)

Agave Syrup or Natural Honey (for topping)

Slice frozen bananas into coins. Place bananas, coconut milk, and liquid stevia into food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached. Top with frozen berries and Agave Syrup, or honey and enjoy!

Vice Be Gone

Friday, April 22, 2011 marked the 6 year anniversary of my Mother's quadruple bypass. Not only does that day mark changes in her health, but also in mine. That was the day that I made the decision to get healthy, lose the weight that I had put on through four pregnancies, and be an example to my children. I decided, as I stood by my Mom's bedside, in recovery, that I would do everything in my power to fight the heart disease that is so rampant on her side of the family. As soon as I weaned Caleb, I started down the road to health, eventually losing 48 lbs.

One of the things I've never been able to get rid of is Diet Soda. It's been the vice that lingers in my life. It was what I always turned to, when I was hungry. The carbonation would fill my belly and I would be able to make it a bit longer until time to eat. I heard all the news about how bad diet coke is for you, what a poison it is, but I kept drinking it, thinking that at least it was helping me maintain my weight....that if diet coke was the only thing "bad" in my life, when it came to diet, then I was doing good overall.

Now that I am back to work and no longer a stay at home mom, it's very difficult to manage my weight. Long hours, stress, and constant "treats" in the office, have contributed to the 15 pound gain that I have seen in the last year and half. After numerous attempts to "get back on track", with the way of life that got me to my goal several years ago, I realized that I had to make a radical change and diet coke did not fit into that plan.

I dropped the diet coke all together three weeks ago, and I'm happy to say, I don't miss it. The first few days, of course were tough, but now, I no longer want it. I no longer drink 68 oz or more of it everyday.

I'm also happy to say that I've dropped 5 lbs, just by eliminating it. I now see how it would spike my blood sugar and make me hungry. I ate more when I was drinking it. I find that I don't want to eat as much. Not to mention eliminating the chemically engineered, artificial sweetener.

One more step in eliminating bad things from my life!

Below is a reminder of what I never want to go back to. For those who've met me recently and don't understand the journey I have been on, hopefully this will give you a glimpse into who I am and where I've come from...into the WHY behind my desire to live healthy and stay healthy. The me you know now, is not the person in the photo below.

Let me also say, it is NOT easy to put this out there. Cute kids, though, huh?

Easter Carrot Cake

This year I proved to myself, that I CAN make it through a holiday without indulging in horrible things. I decided to give this carrot cake recipe a go this afternoon, and I have to say, it is the best primal dessert I've made so far. The icing is delicious and I could very well just eat it by itself. It's very dense, as most carrot cakes are, but not so rich that it sends your blood sugar sky high and makes you want more and more. It was easy to have one small slice and call it a night. Those easter baskets sitting behind me, on the countertop, taunt me no more.

This recipe is from one of my favorite primal blogs, The Food Lover's Primal Palate

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1 cup melted virgin coconut oil
• 10 omega 3 eggs
• 5 large carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup pure maple syrup (reserve 1 tablespoon for date mixture)
  
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 10 medjool dates
• Chopped raw walnuts for garnish
  

Process:

1. In a food processor, using the grating blade, shred carrots.
2. Place carrots in a large ziplock bag. Pour maple syrup over carrots and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325.
4. In a small mixing bowl, add sifted coconut flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
5. In a large mixing bowl, or Kitchen Aid mixer, blend eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and *date mixture.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet and blend.
7. Stir in grated carrots, discarding excess maple syrup that they soaked in.
8. Grease two 9 inch cake pans with coconut oil. (You can also line the bottom of the cake pans with parchment paper for easier removal)
9. Pour batter into pans.
10. Bake for 35 minutes. Test center with a tooth pick-if the tooth pick comes out clean, then the cakes are done.
11. Remove cakes from oven and cool.
12. Frost cake, garnish with walnuts, and serve!

*Date Mixture:

1. Remove pits from dates and place in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Add one tablespoon water to the dates and microwave for 30 seconds.
3. Mash with a fork, add 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, and mash with a fork again.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 16 oz full fat cream cheese
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger root

Process:

1. Bring cream cheese up to room temperature.
2. Blend all ingredients with a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid Mixer.
3. Use right away, or refrigerate.

Pulled Pork Barbecue

Being one who isn't all that fond of barbecue, I was hesitant to try this recipe at first, but the pictures on Bill and Hayley's site made it look so yummy, that I had to give it a try. Boy, am I glad I did! This recipe, with it's homemade, primal (sugar free/grain free) barbecue sauce is AMAZING! Everyone in my family loved it!

Ingredients

Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 1/4 cup Imagine Chicken Broth (you can also use vegetable broth, or plain water)
• 6 oz can of tomato paste (no salt)
• The juice of 1.5 limes
• 1 tablespoon unrefined virgin coconut oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp organic spicy (or dijon) mustard (always check ingredients, not all dijon mustards have favorable ingredients.)
  
• 1 tsp chipotle seasoning
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp liquid stevia extract (you can also use 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup or raw honey if you choose)

Process:

1. In a sauce pan, heat coconut oil on medium.
2. Add garlic and shallots, and saute until soft and translucent.
3. Add mustard, smoked paprika, chipotle, cumin, and salt, and continue to saute (about 30 seconds).
4. Add chicken broth, lime juice, stevia, and tomato paste.
5. Whisk all ingredients until smooth.
6. Bring to a light boil, reduce to simmer, and slightly cover with a lid.
7. Simmer for 45 minutes, and let cool.

Ingredients
Pulled Pork:

• 3 lb "Boston Butt" Pork Shoulder
• 1 fist of garlic, peeled
• 3 cups Imagine Chicken Broth

Process:

1. Rinse pork under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Cut slits into pork and stuff with cloves of garlic (the more the merrier!).
3. Place pork in crock pot and cover with chicken broth.
4. Cook pork on low for 8 hours.
5. Remove from crock pot, and let cool.
6. Discard thick layers of fat.
7. Shred pork with two forks.
8. Toss pork with barbecue sauce and enjoy!

*If you do not own a crock pot, you can also cook the pork in a covered souffle dish in the oven at 250 for 8 hours, or overnight at 200.