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.

Meal Planning Week of Jan 29-Feb 2 (Paleo and/or Gluten Free)

Monday:
Chunky Meat and Vegetable Soup
Paleo "Cornbread" Muffins -cut honey back to 1/3 cup
Cheese and Crackers

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost 2 lbs ground beef

Tuesday:
Make your own Taco Bar- I make a big batch of taco meat (here's a great taco seasoning recipe) and then put out all kinds of toppings; lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, black olives, cheese, sour cream, corn chips, gluten free tortillas and salsa.
Fruit Salad

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost chicken thighs

Wednesday:
Baked Barbecue Chicken Thighs (use BBQ sauce recipe from Against All Grain Meals Made Simple that I made last week)
Roasted Sweet potatoes
Green Beans

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost ground turkey, hard boil eggs

Thursday:
Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy with seasoned ground turkey
Gluten Free Breakfast Casserole
Paleo waffles with pure maple syrup
Berries

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost chicken breasts & make mashed potatoes if time allows

Friday:
Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken and Brussel Sprouts
Mashed Potatoes
Peaches

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. 

Meal Planning- 1 Week of Dinners (Paleo and Gluten Free)

Last week I had all my breakfast & dinner meals planned out and it was awesome!  Always helps when I meal plan and then shop.  Sometimes I do it transversely and shop and see what is available/looks good/is a good price.  Either way works fairly well, but I've been desiring a little more variety and to try a few new recipes.  We often use any leftovers for lunches, so I often make 2 entrees a night.  If your family is smaller or doesn't like leftovers, stick to one.

Sunday:
Lazy Day Lasagna -basically this recipe with your desired ratio of cheeses.  We love these gluten free noodles from Target.  This needs to be made the night before or in the morning, so think ahead.
Spaghetti Squash Bolognese- fantastic Paleo dish that comes together quickly, but the sauce can easily be made ahead.
Roasted asparagus

Prep for tomorrow:  soak chicken breasts in salt water, make dipping sauce

Monday:
Paleo Chicken Fingers with Honey Dijon Sauce
Steamed broccoli with grass fed butter

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost 2 lbs ground beef, chop onion and pepper for chili, peel and cube 4 potatoes and place in cold water in the fridge

Tuesday:
Paleo Chili
Loaded Potato Soup
Sliced cheese and crackers- we have really been loving Simple Mills Almond Flour crackers from Costco
Fruit tray

Prep for tomorrow:  make tarter sauce

Wednesday:
Paleo Fried Fish- double batch
Tartar Sauce- times 4
Sauteed vegetables in avocado oil (Brussels sprouts, onion, red pepper, broccoli)
Roasted carrots

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost beef roast, chop lettuce and veggies for salad

Thursday:
Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
Baked sweet potatoes
Salad

Prep for tomorrow:  defrost chicken

Friday:
Rotisserie Style Chicken
Tomato soup- (I made lots of this in the summer and froze it)
Mixed vegetables

Prep for tomorrow:  none needed!

Saturday:
Leftovers from a week of cooking

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie

So, I'm such a sucker for alliteration!  Let's break down the title.

Perfect- This pie checks all the boxes for texture, taste, and appearance
Paleo- This is completely free of grains, dairy, and refined sugars. That being said, the amount of natural sugars definitely throws it into the dessert/treat category.
Pumpkin Pie- I think you've got this!  😉

When thinking about Thanksgiving, I think pumpkin pie!  Many Paleo recipes use coconut milk for the filling.  I do not like coconut flavor in my pumpkin pie. That led me to create my own Paleo compliant recipe.

After testing many crust recipes, I really like this one.
It does make 2 pie crusts, so I guess you will have to make 2 pies.  Pecan, apple, blueberry, chocolate cream, oh the possibilities!

PERFECT PALEO PUMPKIN PIE
Filling (makes 1 9-inch pie)
2 cups raw cashews (only 3/4 if not making the cashew vanilla cream drizzle)
1 cup maple syrup
2 TBSP coconut sugar
1 can pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
3/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup cashew milk

Vanilla Cream Drizzle:
Remaining cashews
1/3 cup filtered water
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup

1.  Soak all 2 cups of cashews in filtered water for about 4 hours.
2.  Prepare the crust
3.  Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
4.  Drain cashews and measure out 3/4 of a cup. Place in high powered blender.  Set aside remaining cashews.
5.  Add all other filling ingredients.  Process on high speed for 2 minutes or until completely creamy and no lumps remain.
6.  Pour filling into unbaked crust and bake for about 20 minutes.
7.  Cover crust edges with a pie shield or foil and continue to bake another 25-30 minutes until the filling is lightly browned and filling is set up.
8.  Let cool completely, about 2 hours, then chill for 2 hours or more.  Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
9.  If desired, make vanilla cream drizzle by placing all ingredients in high power blender and processing until creamy.  Chill.  Drizzle over pieces before serving.

 

Paleo Friendly Chicken Pot Pie

Sometimes it's fun to recreate an old favorite.  This is one I've been working on for awhile, but have finally perfected it.  I made a couple regular pot pies full of flour and milk today also, but hubby liked the paleo better!  Can't think of a better way to determine that this is good.

A few thoughts about homemade chicken pot pie:  They are a labor of love!  I always make at least 2 since it's so much work.  What do you do if you don't need 2?  I recommend giving one away.  The recipient will thank you.  Boil a great quality chicken the day before.  De-bone and cube up the meat.  Refrigerate the broth overnight and skim off any fat the next day.  This really helps cut down of the time the next day.  Any unused chicken or broth can be frozen or refrigerated for later use.

Ingredients to make 2 pies
Crust:
3 cups almond flour
1 cup tapioca starch
1 heaping Tbsp celery seed
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup palm shortening
5 Tbsp cold butter (I used salted)
6 Tbsp ice cold water

Filling:
2/3 cup butter (I use salted)
2/3 cup arrowroot powder
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
fresh thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I use coconut-almond blend)
4 cups cubed chicken
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups frozen peas

Start by combining flours, celery seed, salt, and baking powder.  Pulse in palm shortening and butter.  Gradually add in water.  Divide pastry into 4 parts, 2 slightly larger than the other 2.  Wrap the 2 smaller portions in parchment paper dusted with tapioca flour.  Place in the fridge.  Press other parts into 2 9-inch cake pans or pie plates using wet hands.  Set aside or cover and chill in fridge.

Chop carrots and potatoes & place in a microwave safe bowl.  Cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.  For the filling, melt butter in a pot.  Add onion, arrowroot, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring until mixture is bubbly.  Remove from heat and add chicken broth and milk.  Heat to boiling and boil for 1 minute.  Stir in carrots, potatoes, peas and chicken.  Fill bottom crusts evenly.  Roll out top crusts between 2 pieces of parchment paper dusted with tapioca flour.  Carefully transfer to the top, seal edges, and cut slits with a knife.

Bake at 425 for 35-40 minutes.  May need to cover lightly with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent burning.