Eggplant Dippers

Eggplant Dippers
1 Large Eggplant
2 Eggs
1/4 C Coconut Milk
1 C Almond Flour
1/2 C Arrowroot Powder
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tsp Salt
Coconut Oil for shallow frying

Slice eggplant 1/4 inch slices. In 2 separate shallow dishes, combine egg and coconut milk in one and remaining ingredients (excluding eggplant and coconut oil) in another.

  In an assembly line fashion, dip eggplant slices in egg and then coat with flour mixture.

  Heat coconut oil to medium high and carefully fry slices 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Serve with prepared tomato sauce for dipping.

 Enjoy!

Carmel-Apple Muffins

These turned out awesome! The smell of them alone was intoxicating! I don't cook/bake with dairy often. Even though both kids, and Steven, eat dairy on occasion, it is generally in more raw, snack form, rather than the actual dish, like homemade yogurt or in homemade Ice Cream on occasion. I do not do dairy often at all, maybe twice a month or so, but I did try one of these with the frosting on them as a nice treat! The muffins without the frosting were incredible too, but I am trying to come up with Fall Party options that will appeal to more than just Paleo eaters, and still keep my kids/us/Paleo eating friends grain/gluten free. And to note, there is no dairy in the muffin itself, just the frosting.

I hope you all enjoy!

Carmel-Apple Muffins
Apple Mix:
4 Apples
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/2 C Water
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

Batter Mix:
2 C Almond Flour
1/2 C Coconut Flour
1/4 C Arrowroot Powder
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 Eggs
1/4 C Coconut Oil
1/4 C Maple Syrup

Frosting:
1 Block Cream Cheese
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Maple Extract (make sure it is Carmel color free)
1/4 C Heavy Whipping Cream

Topping:
1/2 C Chopped Pecans

Peal, core and chop apples into bite size pieces.

Place all ingredients for the apple mix in a heavy bottom saucepan and turn on medium. Allow mixture to cook over medium for about15 minutes, till apples soften and sauce thickens.

 This will give you the nice Carmel flavor, without actually using a traditional Carmel. This should render about 2 cups of apple mixture.

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine dry batter ingredients, and combine wet in a separate bowl. 

Stir wet into dry and combine.  Once apple are cooked and cooled slightly, pour apples into batter mix and stir to combine.  Scoop prepared batter into 20 lined muffin tins and place into preheated oven.

 Allow to bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out cleanly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

When ready to frost, combine frosting ingredients in a stand mixer and whip for about 5 minutes till all ingredients are combine and frosting becomes slightly fluffy from the whipping cream. Frost muffins and top with chopped pecans.

 I only frosted 1/2 of them, as I know a couple do not eat dairy.   I was taking mine to a brunch, so I placed Carmel-apple sticks in them for presentation purposes. 

Enjoy!

Fall Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I got a great deal on some Pie Pumpkins last week, so I wanted to show some of the MANY things that can be done with pumpkins, outside the pie plate. One of my favorites are roasted pumpkin seeds, and there are so many ways to do them besides just salted. These seriously remind me of 'Cinnamin Toast Crunch' cereal, they are so good! You can use this as a template to play with. Throw in the seasonings you like, and see where it goes!

Fall Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
3/4 C Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 275. Cut pumpkin in half and clean out the gunk.

  Separate the stinginess from the seeds and wash the seeds completely.

 On a paper towel, dry seeds completely.

 If you don't, the seasonings will not adhere as well. Mix together all ingredients except seeds.

Add in seeds and stir to coat. 

Place on a parchment or silpat mat lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to ensure they don't burn. Remove when they are dry and crisp. Enjoy!

Fish Sticks

Just to be clear, I dislike seafood, GREATLY! I don't eat shrimp, or salmon, or tilapia. When I became Paleo I realized I liked even fewer varieties than I had previously thought. I didn't actually like Tuna, I liked the mayo and relish it was covered in. I didn't actually enjoy crab, it was the cream cheese and fried won ton I liked. So, needless to say, our intake of seafood is fairly low. I am trying to change that, and I actually created a recipe that not only the kids would eat, but one that I like too!! If you are trying to get your kids to eat more variety, try this recipe. I called these chicken strips, and they eat ate 3 or 4!

I seasoned these very minimally as I was making them more for the kids than for the adults, but you could easily change up the flavor profile in these with a variety of seasonings.

Fish Sticks
5 Tilapia Fillets, or other mild flavored white fish
3 Eggs
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/4 C Coconut Flour + 1/8 C
1/4 C Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp Salt
Avocado Oil- for frying

Start by cutting fish into stick shapes, ensuring consistency in size is maintained so they all cook at a similar speed.

In two separate bowls, scramble eggs in one and combine remaining ingredients (except avocado oil and 1/8 C Coconut flour) in the other.

 Sprinkle cut fish sticks with extra 1/8C of coconut flour. This will help the batter adhere to the fish and not just flake off. Dredge sticks first into egg and then to prepared flour mix. 

Heat enough oil in a heavy bottom pan to cover the bottom 1/2 of the fish sticks when laid in.

Fry prepared sticks 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, on each side and allow to drain on paper towels.

Enjoy, Colton did!

Rosemary Beef Stoup

I say this is a Stoup, because it isn't quite as thick as a stew, but it is thicker than a soup, so Stoup it is. Anyway, I love the depth of flavor I was able to get in this dish. I used my pressure cooker to make this, but the ingredients would work just as well in a slow cooker all day. We had a lot going on Saturday morning, so we missed our usual trip to the farmers market.  The veggies I used were what I had left in the crisper, and they melded really well. Mmmm!

Rosemary Beef Stoup
1.5lb Sirloin Beef
1 Carrot
2 Celery Stalks
1/2 Cabbage
1 Onion
4 C Beef Stock
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Rosemary
1 tsp salt (may need to adjust depending on the stock you use)

Cut beef into bite size pieces. Brown pieces in Avocado oil with salt and onion powder.

 (I used my pressure cooker to brown and then cook the stoup, but if you are using a crock pot you may need to brown the meat on the stove top and then add into the crock.)

Once meat is browned, add all remaining ingredients.

 I cooked mine for 1 hour in the pressure cooker, or you could do this on the stove top for a couple hours, or the crock pot for about 6 hours.

Thank You!!

Wow, I am so humbled and thankful for everyone’s response to my website over the past couple days! When I started this blog 4 months ago I could have never dreamed I would someday have a response like this. I was just trying to share my journey in hopes of showing others that Paleo for a family was not only possible, but tasty and fun! I am just a normal, everyday, mom of 2, trying my best to live as healthy as possible. You all encourage me and inspire me with your words, and I pray I can continue to help others! Thank you all, again!!

Pumpkin Bread

I made this pumpkin bread for a brunch with friends today and oh wow, was it ever good. I actually had a friend say to me, 'Oh, so you guys aren't doing Paleo anymore' after tasting this. She could not be convinced that there was not any traditional flour in this recipe.  Try this for the fall breakfasts and brunches you have coming up, it will be a hit!!

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 C Almond Flour
1/2 C Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg

1 C Canned Pumpkin
4 Eggs
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/4 C Coconut Oil

Topping:
1/8 C Coconut Oil
1/8 C Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 C Walnut

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease 1.5 quart bread pan with coconut oil. 

In separate bowls, combine wet and dry ingredients.

 Stir wet into dry and pour batter into prepared bread pan. Combine topping ingredients and spread on top of prepared batter and place in preheated oven. 

Bake bread for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out from the center of the loaf cleanly.  Allow to cool in the pan and slice. Serve plain or smeared butter or creamed honey.