Primal German Chocolate Cake

This cake turned out amazing!  The cake part is slightly sweet and has a wonderful texture and the frosting was so yummy.  My whole family liked this and it was the perfect addition to my birthday celebration.  I'm trying to think of another occasion to make this again!

I made 2 of this cake recipe and baked in two 8 inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper.  I used cashew butter instead of almond butter.

Then I made 1.5 batches of this frosting with a few alterations.  I used the same method of simmering down the cream & syrup.

Here's my ingredient list:
21 oz.heavy whipping cream
6 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt (I used pink Himalayan)
1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 Tbsp coconut sugar

Chill and then frost cake.

This chocolate frosting worked great for garnishing along with some extra coconut.

Weekly Meal Plan- Jan 22-26 (Gluten Free and/or Paleo)

As much as we try to eat supper as a family, there are some days we are all going different directions. Crock pot to the rescue! 


Prep for Monday:  Defrost 2lbs ground beef

Monday:
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes - I will substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar
Serve with gluten free buns, sweet potato chips and Siete Cassava chips-Lime flavored
Green beans
Fruit Tray

Prep:  Defrost stew meat

Tuesday:
Salmon Patties from Practical Paleo or find a similar recipe here
Paleo Beef Stroganoff (double batch)- serve sauce over Cappello's Fettuccine noodles- these noodles are so good!
Sauteed veggies
Mixed berries

Prep:  Defrost short ribs, make bbq sauce for Thursday

Wednesday:
Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs from Practical Paleo or grab the recipe here.  Double recipe.
Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
Steamed broccoli with grass fed butter

Prep:  Defrost chicken, defrost steaks for Friday, chop lettuce

Thursday:
Barbecue Chicken Salad from Meals Made Simple (I plan to use Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing as a shortcut)
Amy's Kitchen Vegetable soup- 3 cans
Fruit tray

Prep:  Make marinade and pour over steaks

Friday:
Steak with Best Steak Marinade
Roasted Baby Potatoes with Herbs
Sauteed mixed vegetables
Paleo Chocolate Cake times 2 with German Chocolate Cake Frosting (I use organic heavy whipping cream instead of coconut milk and add 1 Tbsp of coconut sugar) 

It's a Great Day to Bake Cookies

When it's snowing and sub zero temperatures it's a great day to bake some cookies!  I fully enjoyed my oven's warmth as I made 3 batches.  Two were wonderful and 1 was not. 

Let's start with the ones pictured on the right that we didn't like, so we can end on a good note.  This was supposed to be a simple 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1 egg & 1.5 cups of chocolate chips.  I think it was a misprint and should have been 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.  Anyway, they turned out hard and there was no possible way to stir that many chips in.  Oh well, that's part of trying something new!

Next are the Double Chocolate Mocha cookies at the bottom. I used this recipe with a few alterations to the ingredients.  The bake time was perfect at 8 minutes & made exactly 24 small cookies.  Here's the ingredients I used:
2 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 Tbsp organic coffee beans, ground fine
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 stick butter, salted
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used Lily's brand)

The bars on the left of the plate are a Paleo Chewy Granola Bar.  They are so yummy and make a great after school snack or even a grab and go breakfast.

Let me know if there is ever a recipe you'd like for me to test or alter for dietary needs. 

Fruit Pizza

Really wanted something to finish out our homemade pizza night.  Fruit pizza it is!  Looked at several recipes and settled on this one.  Some reviews were not favorable, but ours turned out great.  Baked it on a stone and added a bit more arrowroot to the glaze.  Consumed in a flash!  Will be making this again soon.

Gluten Free Rhubarb Bars

This is a wonderful treat to make with rhubarb this season.  These are well like by those do not eat gluten free also.  They are quick and easy to make, but it does dirty 2 bowls and a pan.  Here's the link to Gluten Free Rhubarb Bars.

Cranberry Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

Feeling a little fancy-shmancy?  This cake turned out really pretty!  It about puts your tongue on sensory overload as you are hit with the bold gingerbread flavor, then you chew into the sweet cranberry compote and then hit a rich dark chocolate chunk.  Yum!  My kiddos all like this, but only the older ones really like it.  This seems like a "grown-up" dessert to me. 

Paleo Chocolate Cake

Someone had a birthday this week.  I made a big chocolate Texas sheet cake to share, then I made another one with GF flour for our house.  I really wanted cake too, so I used this recipe from Elana's Pantry.  I made a half recipe of this recipe and it made 6 cupcakes.  The cake was moist and had a great texture. I then used a half recipe of the paleo chocolate frosting on the link.  It was delicious with 60% cacao chocolate chips.  Do not refrigerate these as the frosting gets hard.

Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

I will have to call ours donut mini muffins.  We only have a muffin maker, not a donut hole or cake pop maker.  Anyway, I followed the recipe for the paleo version of these and they turned out great.  I have not tried this, but it might work in the oven as mini muffins.  Give this recipe a try if you are in the donut mood & need a healthier option!

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls

It has been mentioned that cinnamon rolls have been missed since being on a strict GF diet for someone in our house.  Making rolls is so time consuming, it's not something I attempt very often. I have been eyeing this recipe and have watched the video tutorial, so I was feeling confident.  They were tricky to roll up, but were a great texture when baked.  My crew said they were a great compared to any cinnamon roll, gluten free or not.  That's the highest compliment that can be given at our house.  If you have the time & need a special treat, I would recommend giving this a try.

These were the star of the show at the brunch I made my kiddos.  They've had a wonderful first quarter of their school year & we were kicking off a little time off school.

Frosted and ready to cut.

 Our Fall brunch.

 

Gluten Free S'mores Trail Mix

Tis the season for s'mores!  When I saw this recipe, I didn't need much of an excuse to try it.  It was yummy, but the kiddos thought it was too sweet.  Next time we will reduce the honey in the cookies.  But what a fun Fall treat!  We munched on this as we had a family game night.

Pumpkin Bars

These pumpkin bars came together easily and were so delicious and moist. I opted for the honey option and reduced it to 1/3 cup. Some in our house feel that pumpkin bars must have cream cheese frosting, so I made a pan of each. Yum!

Loaded Chocolate Milk

Here's a great snack or dessert idea.  I've tried different combinations, but here's my favorite!

1 cup full fat coconut milk
4 small dates (1-2 medjool dates)
1/2 Tbsp flax seed
1 Tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients in the Vitamix and process on high until very smooth.  Pour over ice & drink with a straw.  Makes 1 serving.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter "Granola" Bars

Need a good grab and go snack?  Make these!  They are so good.  I made one batch with peanut butter & one batch with almond butter.  They are delicious and filling.  I cut and wrapped mine in waxed paper for a quick snack while I'm up feeding the baby at night.  Store in the freezer.

 

Chocolate Chip Espresso Banana Bread Muffins

I really wanted to take a picture of these after supper, but they were ALL GONE!  I guess that is my family's stamp of approval.  :)  Try this muffin recipe the next time you have bananas to use.

Seven-Layer Bars

Is it too cold to go anywhere this weekend?  How about making a batch of these Seven-Layer Bars?  I will warn you that these take some time, but they are yummy!  I took them to a family potluck last weekend and took home an empty plate.  I always line my pan with parchment and never cook the caramel sauce for as long as the recipe says.  Just watch it so the caramel doesn't burn!  

Paleo Salted Caramel Mocha

I've been enjoying making a healthier versions of "coffee house" drinks.  I'm loving this Peppermint Mocha.  I also wanted to create a salted caramel option.  I  wanted to be able to achieve this by not needing to make a caramel sauce first.  Here's what I came up with.

Paleo Salted Caramel Mocha
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1 Tbsp good quality cacao powder
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut nectar
2 Tbsp salted butter (I use Kerrygold grass-fed)
6 drops vanilla creme stevia
Himalayan pink salt

Combine all ingredients except the salt in a high speed blender or Vitamix until foamy.  Transfer to a small pot and heat thoroughly.  Pour into 2 mugs.  Grind a bit of Himalayan pink salt on top.  Enjoy!

Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Marshmallow Cookies

With requests for egg nog so often, I seem to have an abundance of egg whites.  I decided to use some to make the marshmallow cookies in this recipe.  They were easy to make and have great flavor.  Mine were more of a toasted color due to my lack of low temperature on my oven.  Anyone whose seen my kitchen will understand.  This cocoa recipe is rich and chocolately, but not overly sweet.  We added a few drops of stevia. 

Peppermint Mocha

I feel very tempted and lured in by the coffee house drinks.  I usually suffer from a sugar overload induced headache when I indulge.  So, I have been working on a paleo version of some of my favorites.  Here is my peppermint mocha recipe:

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup strong brewed organic coffee
2 Tbsp good quality cacao powder (I use Dagoba brand)
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
6 drops vanilla creme stevia
pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in a blender or Vitamix and process until foamy.  Transfer to a small pot and heat thoroughly. Pour into 2 large mugs and enjoy with someone special. 

This is my oldest kiddo after school.  Such a warm, comforting drink to sip on while telling Mom about your day!

Paleo Egg Nog

When it began snowing yesterday, we began thinking of all things "winter."  My girls are always excited to see egg nog hit the shelves this time of year.  Since these cartons are full of dairy and additives, I began to search for a homemade version we can enjoy and digest.  This recipe from The Paleo Parents had lots of good reviews.  I started out with their basic raw version.

2 cups full fat coconut milk (I used homemade)
2 cups almond milk (I used homemade)
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract (since I used plain almond milk)
1/8 tsp ground allspice

Blend well in a blender, chill & serve with ground cinnamon or nutmeg on top. 

I felt it needed rum flavor to make it more egg nog like, so I added:

1/2 tsp rum extract (I'm sure real rum would be great, but this was made for children.)
1/8 tsp sea salt

We loved it with these additions! 

Maple Pumpkin Custard

I just love how many of Danielle Walker's recipes are so family friendly.  They often use ingredients I have on hand and come together quickly.  But, most importantly, they taste good!  This custard recipe was no exception.  I had an extra yolk from the pecans I made earlier, so it was a great time to try this one out.  The flavor was wonderful, just like pumpkin pie filling.  The only alteration I did was a few drops of lemon juice (probably about 1/8 tsp) instead of lemon zest.
 

Then I had the idea of topping the custard with a few of  these pecans.

 
It is like a wonderful mix of pumpkin and pecan pie.  Great Fall dessert!