Grain Free Chocolate Chia Muffins

         

          Last week I ran a 1/2 marathon. I did not want to take the time to train, and decided to do it anyways. I wanted to prove to myself I could just get up and run 13.2 miles. And that I did. I ran with my brother in law, and we made it in under 2 hours, which was my goal. It was long, but surprisingly not that hard for me cardio-wise, however, it killed my knees. At mile 5 I was hurting bad, but I knew I was going to finish no matter what so I focused on finishing and ignored the pain. The next day was rough. I hurt everywhere, and my knees felt like they were about to break! After a few days everything was back to normal except my right foot. At first I thought it was just sore, and then the pain kept increasing. Long story short, I have a hairline fracture to deal with now. I get to wear this massive boot around for 5 weeks. I find it somewhat comical because 2 weeks ago I was talking to one of my trainers at the gym about how I need to take proper rest days. I joked about how I don't like to rest, and don't like taking time off. Now I get to eat my words! I have spent the last week "resting" and I am about to go crazy! I am forced to take 5 weeks from my normal activity and I am still trying to process that. Moral of the story: Don't run a 1/2 marathon without training! While I was completely capable of finishing, my body felt otherwise.

         Enough complaining. On to the muffins. I was experimenting with a few recipes (and realized halfway in I only had 1 cup of almond flour) and came up with this recipe that is more "scone" like than muffin. But since it is served in a tiny muffin tin were calling it a muffin. If you like a more moist muffin omit chia seeds, but it was perfect with some coffee, and the kids didnt seem to complain. The good news is there is no chocolate chips in it (just cocoa powder), so its super low in sugar and the perfect afternoon treat. We all know how much I look forward to my afternoon coffee and snack! Its the little things....

Chocolate Chia Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup almond flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
2 large eggs
1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
1/3 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon chia seeds*
raw sugar to sprinkle on top

* If you want a more moist muffin omit chia seeds

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray mini muffin tin with coconut oil spray, or line with baking cups.

2.In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients (except chia seeds), and whisk around to break up clumps.

3. In a medium sized bowl mix all wet ingredients and chia seeds. Let sit 10 minutes to let chia seeds soften a bit. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry.

4. Drop spoonfuls of batter into muffin tin, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle with a little raw sugar (if desired), and bake 10-14 minutes , until it springs to the touch, or knife inserted comes out clean.

Korean Chicken and Cauliflower Fried rice

It has taken me a long time to decide to get back into blogging. It is not because I didn't enjoy it, but it takes time. And time is not really my friend these days. BUT, every time I post a picture of my dinner a handfull of you ask me for the recipe. And I get emails weekly asking for tips, advice, or recipes on eating paleo and/or how to eat healthy. And while I could email each person individually I decided to get back on here and post some recipes. For me, blogs are my main source of recipe inspiration, so I hope I can do that for some of you!

This recipe was super easy and seriously delicious. I hadn't really decided I was going to blog it until after taking horrible iPhone pics and then it was gone. Like the entire dinner devoured before I could even think of getting the Canon out. O well. Next time I make it I will update the picture, but for now all you need to know is this is delicious, and easy, and very kid approved. Also I don't know how these bloggers get these amazing pictures at dinnertime. Im lucky to have everyone sitting waiting to eat. If I dare mention "hold on guys, mommy needs a picture" we would have some crying for sure . So it may be crappy iPhone pics for a while until I figure it all out again. Anyways. The Food.

Korean Chicken 

Recipe was slightly adapted from The Endless Meal

INGREDIENTS
 1.5-2lbs chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts ( I used a mix of drumsticks and breasts)
4 tablespoons honey
2-3 tablespoons Siracha (or red chili paste)
2 tablespoons coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
sesame seeds and green onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken in a resealable bag. Add the honey, siracha, coconut amigos, sesame oil, and garlic and seal the bag. Squish the bag around a little so that the marinade coats all the chicken. Let the chicken marinate 1-24 hours in the fridge.

2. Line an 8X11 baking dish with parchment paper . Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Pour the chicken and all the marinade into the prepared baking dish and move the chicken around, so it is in a single layer. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, turning a few times. Once it is cooked through, Broil the chicken at 425 for another 10-15 minutes until it is nice and dark red. Be sure to keep a close eye on this as all broilers are different.

Cauliflower Fried Rice 

This is one of my all time favorite ways to eat cauliflower. It has so much flavor!

INGREDIENTS

1 large head of cauliflower ( riced in food processor ) * see notes
1-2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
1/2 onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic finely minced
green onions for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large skillet (I used a cast iron), over medium high heat, add avocado oil and onions. Saute  a few minutes until onions start to soften, then add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add in riced cauliflower and saute 6-8 minutes until it just starts to soften, stirring often. Push the cauliflower to the side of the pan and add the beaten egg, cooking until soft scramble. Once egg is almost done, stir it all together. Add sesame oil and coconut aminos. Let cook another minute or so until everything is warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add onion garnish .

* To rice cauliflower:
Working in batches, pulse small florets (just the cauliflower chunks) in food processor until it resembles rice This will take a few pulses . And Voila! You now have riced cauliflower ...

A New Year, A New Focus..... And some delicious Cauliflower "couscous"

It almost feels weird getting back into blogging. I have taken a super long break from it and have been focusing all of my time on my three littles. And I could not be enjoying my time more. But, as the oldest now spends over half his day in kindergarten, and my 3 year old will play by himself for hours, and my toddler takes a solid 2 hour nap everyday, I have found myself needing something for "me to be working on. Don't get me wrong, I love playing with these boys all day, but there are a few minutes in the day that I would like to be working on something for me. And I think my life is finally to a point that I can dedicate some time for it. So here I am. Back at it. And honestly I had no intentions of posting a recipe anytime soon, but I have had several people ask me when I am going to start posting recipes again, and I felt it was time. 

This year I am re-foscuing on feeding my family natural. whole foods. While we mostly eat that way anyways (besides a few treats here and there), I felt the need to re-energize myself on menu planning, exercising, and re-inventing our diet to be fun, satisfying, and completely free of processed anything! I am constantly being emailed by friends or even random people who know we eat well, asking me for advice on how to feed them and their kids, how to balance everything, and of course recipe suggestions. So here we are. A new year, and a new focus. I am focusing on using my talents and passions and helping others live a healthier and happier life! The picture below looks terrible. In fact the cauli "couscous" does not look at all appetizing! I didn't think to take a picture until we ate most of it and packaged up the rest for later. And I thought, maybe I would like to use this recipe sometime. Next time I make it I will update the picture, but until then trust me when I say this salad is seriously amazing. I had everyone eating it up! It is somewhat of a pain to make, but makes a huge batch and is so good the next day. Its a great way to fuel your body and enjoy what you are eating. Below I am posting a bit about the benefits of some of the ingredients in there .. Enjoy! 

Cauliflower: Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a cancer fighting agent. It is a great anti-inflammatory and provides 77 percent of your daily need for vitamin C. 

Bean Sprouts: When you sprout anything, the Fiber, Protein and Vitamin content increase dramatically. Sprouting the lentils and beans also makes them much easier to digest. 

Avocado: Did you know avocados contain more potassium than a banana? Yup, thats right. They are also loaded with vitamins, from vitamin C, K,to all the B's. My favorite reason for eating them is they are loaded with monounsaturated Fatty Acids, making them the perfect healthy fat. I will be writing a post soon on the importance of eating lots of healthy fats :) 

Cauliflower "couscous"

Recipe adapted from Green Kitchen Stories 

Ingredients 

1 Large head of cauliflower (I used a mix of orange and white, thats why mine is a weird color)

1 handful parsley, chopped

1 handful cilantro, chopped 

1/2 cup diced bell peppers ( I used a mix of red and yellow) 

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled

1/4 cup (or so) of crunchy mixed sprouts, or broccoli sprouts

1 avocado, diced

2 tablespoons chopped green onions 

1 tablespoon capers

1 lemon, juice

1 tablespoon of avocado oil, or cold pressed olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1: Bring a saucepan with water to a boil

2: Meanwhile, coarsely chop the cauliflower and place the florets and stem in a food processor and pulse until fine couscous, or rice like texture. Do it in batches if it won't all fit. 

3: Pour the cauliflower into the boiling water, and lower heat to simmer and cook for 3 minutes (or slightly less).

4: Drain the cauliflower in a fine mesh sieve and let drain completely. You may have to spoon it around to let water run out. Pour into a serving bowl. Toss in everything but the avocado, feta and pine nuts and toss to combine. Serve warm, or I prefer it chilled. Once chilled, toss with avocado, pine nuts and feta and serve. 

A little green smoothie for me and these little monsters! 

Hummus

Let me start out by saying that this hummus recipe is really just a base for so many other flavor combinations. It is a simple, easy, low ingredient hummus, and you can enjoy as is, or take it in any direction. My boys absolutely love hummus, and I find it's the best way to get them to eat their veggies, plus they are getting extra protein with each bite. Now on to the recipe. 

Your Basic Hummus

makes about 2 cups

2 cans no salt added chickpeas, rinsed and drained well
1/3 cup tahini sauce (sesame paste)
1 large clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (depending on consistency)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Thats it. Enjoy!