Paleo Pancakes

I love pancakes, but I don't love the carbs that come with them. The solution? Paleo pancakes! :-)

Ingredients

~4 ripe bananas
~4 large, cage-free, organic eggs
~1/2 cup nut butter (I've used both almond and cashew and noticed no distinguishable difference)
~freshly ground black pepper, to taste
~2 tsp olive oil

Directions

1. Mash bananas with a fork in a large bowl until smooth. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until frothy and add to bananas.
2. Add the nut butter and mix well until creamy and smooth. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
3. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
4. Cook pancakes for 2 minutes and then flip. Cook until golden brown.

My pancakes ALWAYS turn out looking burnt, but they never taste it (I know the one below doesn't look burnt...it was literally the first one I did so I took a picture of it looking pretty!). They are so delicious with 100% pure maple syrup and some bacon. Perfection.

Paleo Guilty Pleasure

Sooooo I am just going to go ahead and make the disclaimer that this post is not exactly paleo. But if I can give you easily accesible, healthier options for everyday unhealthy foods, well goshdarnit I am going to do it.

So let's just get this out of the way. This post is all about chocolate. Dark chocolate to be specific. And mannnn oh mannnn do I loooove chocolate. Especially dark. It is truly my comfort food. Ohmygoodness, just so delicious!


Chocolate is a topic of some debate in the paleo world. Some die-hard, hardcore paleo followers say no. I think you all know where I stand in this debate...I'm a firm YES to chocolate while on paleo! Well...SOME chocolate. Semi-sweet and milk chocolate are a big negative; however, dark chocolate that is 70% (or higher) cocoa is considered to be paleo friendly. The higher percentage of cocoa, the better. Be warned though...the darker chocolate is definitely an acquired taste. I love the Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie bars which are 86% cocoa and labeled as "intense dark chocolate"...and they are not kidding. The first time I tasted it I was a bit turned off, but after my palate adjusted I began to appreciate it for the intense chocolate flavor it offers.


There is one brand of chocolate that I seriously love and highly recommend. It is the Endangered Species chocolate, and there are SO many reasons why I love it!

1. They have multiple dark chocolate flavored bars, all above 70%! (Extreme Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Cranberries and Almonds, Dark Chocolate with Mint (my absolute fave!), Dark Chocolate with Blueberries, Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Toffee, etc.)
2. All of their ingredients are both organic and fair trade. The chocolate is sourced from ethically traded cacao farms ensuring fair trade, responsible labor practices, and sustainable farming.
3. 10% of the company's net profits are donated to species and habitat conservation efforts.
4. The brand is fairly inexpensive compared to some other organic chocolates.
5. The brand is widely available in grocery stores.
6. It is certified, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher.



My favorite chocolate!


So I say enjoy your chocolate! And know that I will be enjoying mine! ;-)

Almond Butter

I have heard so many amazing things about almond butter. I always hear how much better it is for you than peanut butter, how it helps with blood sugar, etc. etc., so I decided to try it. When I did, it felt like all the moisture in my mouth was immediately sucked out of me and into this little blob of almond butter. I was NOT a fan! I was supposed to stir it, but it wouldn't stir! It just separated into one blob of completely dry "butter" plus a lot of oil on top (I am not going to say what brand I used because I am not any sort of expert on almond butter, and I don't want to speak negatively about any certain brands). I was less than thrilled with the experience. I kept it around though to use in recipes (and it ended up working just fine in my paleo pancakes (which will be a blog post soon!)).

But then I found the organic section at Kroger and began to explore...and I found a brand (MaraNatha) of almond butter that claimed to be no-stir. So I figured I would give it a try. When I opened it I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency because it was very similar to peanut butter (which I loooove, but unfortunately can't have on paleo. Heart=broken). I tried it and I swear my tastebuds fluttered! It was SO delicious! I now swear by it and use it on everything...apples, bananas, celery...anything that you would put peanut butter on, I put almond butter on. It is fantastic! AND, as an added bonus, they have both creamy and crunchy! I truly love both, but I am partial to the creamy (which is weird since I prefer crunchy peanut butter!).


I recently found it at Wal-Mart as well, and I was intrigued and excited to find a Raw Maple flavor of the brand I love! Be still, my heart!


That being said, I do not think this almond butter is strictly paleo since it does have slight traces of organic unrefined cane sugar. But in my opinion, it is a healthier and better alternative than other nut butters, so have at it (in moderation, of course)!

MaraNatha No-Stir Almond Butters

Paleo Brownies

Hello. My name is Rayna, and I am a brownie addict. It is incredibly difficult for me to ever turn down a hot, warm, gooey, fudgy brownie. Even just talking about it is making my mouth water! In my mind, it is the epitome of noms.


So when I saw a recipe for paleo brownies I was both excited and skeptical. On one hand YES! On the other hand is it too good to be true? So I decided to test it out...and LOVED the results! I am big on the texture and consistency of foods, and this was just like a regular brownie (more on the cakey texture side than the fudgy side, but I was honestly too thrilled with the taste to be picky!). Using the almond butter made it taste like an almond brownie, and sweet baby Jesus it was delicious! This is a recipe that automatically went to the "KEEP FOREVER" pile. If you love chocolate and/or brownies, I highly recommend this one!

Ingredients

~1 cup pure maple syrup
~3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
~1 cup almond butter
~2 tsp vanilla extract
~1/2 tsp baking powder
~1/2 tsp salt
~1 egg
~1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (which I had a VERY hard time finding!)

Directions

1. Heat syrup on low heat on the stove. Stir in cocoa powder over low heat until smooth. Cocoa can burn very quickly, so make sure to keep your eye on it and keep the temperature down.
2. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed.
3. Pour into an 8x8 baking pan greased with olive oil or coconut oil (I used coconut). Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes. Use a toothpick to make sure it's cooked through. Let cool before cutting/serving.


**Disclaimer: Some hardcore paleo followers would probably not find this recipe very paleo due to the baking powder. But if you just NEED brownies, this is a sensible, mostly paleo, healthier alternative.

**Second disclaimer: They are SO delicious. As a good wife should I offered my husband a brownie. And then I proceeded to eat the rest of the pan over the next 24 hours. #soworthit ;-)

Paleo Grillin'

Today was a big day for many reasons! Number one, and most importantly, it was Memorial Day. Having a family member who was killed just days before the end of World War II, which left my Memaw a widow and my beloved Granny without a father at a young age, in addition to an incredible Granddad who served in three wars and taught us the meaning of the word "patriotism", I understand the significance of this day. I am eternally grateful to the amazing men and women of our United States armed forces, especially those who make the ultimate sacrifice. We are truly the land of the free because of the brave. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to those who keep us that way.


Memorial Day is traditionally a day where people have cookouts. A lot of the celebrating revolves around food and alcohol, which can make it very difficult to stick to the clean eating lifestyle. Many people see holidays as a good excuse for a cheat day, and believe me there are many holidays where I do the same. However, this Memorial Day I managed to stick to my paleo eating pretty darn well.

I was really craving some charcoal grilled food for Memorial Day. In my opinion there is absolutely nothing better than food off the charcoal grill. Gas grills are good, don't get me wrong, but they in no way compare to that delicious charcoal grilled flavor! I just love it. So we went to Kroger and loaded up on meats and veggies. Meat-wise we got some London broil, chicken breasts, and shrimp. Veggie-wise we got a lot...onion, baby tomatoes, squash, zucchini, mushrooms (y'all know how I feel about mushrooms!), and some red, yellow, and orange peppers. I also got some pineapple to grill up for dessert! (I LOVE grilled pineapple!)

Here is where it gets a little non-paleo. My husband cut the chicken and London broil into cubes for the skewers while I peeled the shrimp. We then skewered them and marinated them in some Italian dressing, and holy moly it was DELICIOUS. I know, I know, Italian dressing is most certainly not paleo, but using it as a marinade when I could have easily had hot dogs, cheeseburgers, barbecue, or all of the above, makes me ok with my decision. We marinated them for about 4 hours. The veggies were chopped and skewered, and then I poured olive oil all over them. Before being cooked the veggies looked like this...


And I actually manned the grill during this whole experience! (with some help from Tim and the boys of course, but I would say it was about 90% me!) Add grill master to my list of skills! ;-) Everything came out beyond perfect. I was quite proud! And the grilled pineapple was an absolutely perfect dessert for the evening. Usually I don't eat fruit after lunch, but I made an exception for some yummy grilled pineapple! :-) Here is what our spread looked like...



I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day and took a little time to send thanks up to the men and women who have made our lifestyle possible. Your sacrifice is never forgotten.

Random Paleo Concoction

Let's be honest...there are some days you just don't want to cook anything fancy. I get it. I have those days too. And sometimes it is getting close to grocery day and I am stuck looking into my refrigerator for minutes on end pondering what on earth I could possibly make from the most random of ingredients. Well, this time those random ingredients worked out in my favor! I don't really have a name for my concoction...we will just call it a random paleo concoction for the time being.

I ALWAYS have mushrooms in my refrigerator. Like...lots of mushrooms. Because I eat them on a pretty daily basis. I used to hate mushrooms, and then one day my amazing mom made some, and it was like the heavens opened up and I instantly became a mushroom lover. I eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I can. I love, love, love them. So I usually use those as a key ingredient in any concoction I am making. So we have the mushrooms as a shoe-in for this random meal, but what next? I had some spinach and asparagus, both of which I love mixing with mushrooms, so I figured those two wouldn't taste bad together either. So we have the veggie part of the meal covered, but what about protein? So I threw in some chicken. Voila! I served it to my husband and his friends and they loved it, but then my husband made the suggestion of throwing some egg in there as well. GENIUS. More protein! In goes the scrambled egg, and out comes this wonderful paleo, clean eating meal! :-)


Ingredients

~1 lb cut up, cooked chicken breasts (can be grilled, baked, sautéed...whatever you prefer)
~1 cup mushrooms (any kind you like)
~1 cup asparagus (cut into 1 inch long pieces)
~1 cup spinach
~4 eggs, scrambled
~Olive oil to cook

Directions

1. Cook chicken breasts. Scramble eggs. Set aside.
2. Using olive oil, cook mushrooms and asparagus for a few minutes until tender. Add spinach and cook for another minute or two until spinach is cooked.
3. Add chicken and scrambled eggs. Mix well.

The Health Benefits of Paleo

I started paleo back in March as a way to lose weight and live an overall healthier lifestyle. That being said, paleo has many testimonials about added health benefits. Some of the most common benefits listed are:

Acne & SkinAsthmaAutoimmune DiseaseDiabetesInflammation, Arthritis, & JointsMenstrual Cramps
Paleo has also shown to be beneficial for athletes, weight loss and overall energy, and can help improve overall fitness.

"The paleo diet is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago. These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). Dairy products, cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods were not part of our ancestral menu."

Decades of research by Dr. Loren Cordain (founder of the paleo movement) and his colleagues found that, overall, hunter-gatherers typically were free from the chronic illnesses and diseases that are epidemic in Western populations, including obesity, cardiovascular disease (heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis), type 2 diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, etc.), osteoporosis, acne, myopia (nearsightedness), macular degeneration, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, gastric reflux, and gout.

Check out some of the testimonials! It is truly amazing what paleo has done for people!

So what can paleo do for YOU?!