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Holiday Baking

24 Dec

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The holidays are upon us and the baker inside of me is just screaming to create delicacies. This year I decided not to go too crazy because 1. paleo friendly ingredients for baking are expensive, and 2. my willpower against over-indulging is honestly not the best. I don’t flinch at a tray of conventional cookies or cakes, but when I personally bake with health-ier ingredients, a little bit of self-control is lost somewhere in the process! Regardless, it’s still fun to have dessert options and more importantly to share them with loved ones.

Here are three of my favorite no-fail recipes that everyone will love, and you will not waste any almond flour** experimenting. Thank you to Elana’s Pantry and Roost Blog for making my holiday baking so much easier for the past two years!

1. Elana’s Pantry Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies

  • Increase the ground coffee content to 3 Tbsp
  • Replace grapeseed oil with melted coconut oil
  • Increase the sea salt content to 3/4 tsp

2. Roost Blog Gingerbread

3. Elana’s Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Replace grapeseed oil with melted coconut oil or butter
  • Replace agave nectar with raw honey (sometimes I decrease the honey to 1/4 cup depending on my audience)
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They even make great holiday gifts!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours,

Heather

**I always have the best luck with JK Gourmet and Honeyville almond flours. They are worth ordering, despite the convenience of other store brands.

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Balance

13 Jun

Here might be a typical breakfast for you, and many would consider it to be reasonable and healthy:  fruit-sweetened oatmeal, a banana, and a glass of milk.  Later you might have an apple or a handful of raisins for a snack.

That is not a balanced breakfast for anyone, friends.  It is a bowl of carbohydrate with some diced carbohydrate stirred in, followed by a peeled carbohydrate, washed down with a glass of carbohydrate.  (Yes.  I know there are levels of fat and protein in each, but I’m talking your fundamental, core macronutrient composition of each food.)

Let me provide a little insight that may help simplify your food choices.  Every food can be placed into one of three groups: carbohydrate, protein and fat.  Those are the only three categories you need to know when considering balancing your meals and snacks.

So, what do you think will happen when you eat the “healthy” breakfast above?  Well, at first, as your glucose levels spike,  you will feel great and your sweet tooth will also be thanking you!  You may feel satisfied for a  short time.  But then comes the switch–you’ll be ravenous in a few short hours, you will feel groggy mid-morning, not to mention your workout will feel…meh.

Food is fuel, but food is also a drug, because what you eat affects your hormonal response.  It is medication by way of food.  Your input is directly related to your output.

Carbohydrate is a substance that affects the hormone called insulin, which is your energy-storage hormone.

Protein is a substance that affects the hormone called glucagon, which is your energy-mobilizer hormone.

Fat is neutral.  It slows the release of energy.  Keyword: satiety.

What does this mean for you?  You can use the hormone response from your food to create positive outcomes in your body.  Cool.  If you have too much of one thing or another, you will foster a hormonal imbalance, which will eventually have more and more of an impact over time.  Even if you don’t have health problems like inflammation, sleep disruption, or autoimmune disorders, you will see that your performance, clarity, and overall energy will improve dramatically.

So…think of every meal as a teeter totter.  Classify your foods in terms of their macronutrient makeup, and ensure you have the right balance.

For those of you who learn visually:

Nourish yourself well!
Leigh

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Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Sauce

10 Jun

chicken shawarma recipe

Chicken Shawarma.

Being an Army family with strong associations with the Middle East…ahem…has had its drawbacks.  But one of the awesome perks of having served in that region for so many months, is the exposure to and appreciation for Middle Eastern cuisine.

This recipe has been a hit with me and my husband, and our children.  I’ve shared it with my neighbors and friends and it always gets rave reviews.  Just go ahead and double this recipe.  Throw one portion of the marinated chicken into a gallon ziplock, and place it in the freezer for another day.   I only really like to make things that are inherently simple, so that is another added bonus.

1 pound chicken tenders, or breasts cut into strips
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin

Combine the marinade ingredients, add the chicken, toss to coat.  Marinate 2 to 24 hours.

If you prefer for aesthetics, or serving as an appetizer for a group, you can skewer the chicken strips.

Grill over hot coals, about 2-3 minutes per side, to desired doneness.  Or you can place chicken on a broiler pan, and broil on high for 2-3 min per side.

Serve with Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

1/2 c greek yogurt
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt

This is a fresh and delicious meal when paired with a cucumber, tomato, and fresh mint and parsley salad.

You’re welcome.  :)

Leigh

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Prepare Yourself.

3 Jun

I have to admit my eating habits are on the downswing right now.  With the onset of summer, thank-you baking, and house guests, the level of  ”paleo” desserts in my world is through the roof.  I do not believe that cookies and cupcakes and muffins are paleo.  They are calorically dense, bender-inducing cheats.  That’s just me.  And I don’t want to lead anyone into thinking that those items are going to catapult you to optimum health.

With that said, “paleo” cookies, muffins, cakes and confections have their place.  They satisfy that need for something sweet, they bridge the gap from the old way of eating, they are an awesome option for celebrations that call for confections, and they are healthiER than full sugar, flour-based products.  

Sometimes it is nice to have those options in the house for whatever the reason.  But let me tell you.  In a contest between paleo chocolate chip cookies and roasted broccoli…the cookies always dominate.  Every.  Time.  Turns out that lately, when I AM hungry, I am not making good choices :(  and instead of calming down, spending the time chopping and preparing a healthful snack, I am going to whatever is fastest.  

So, I am not motivated to be eating my veggies like I am supposed to.  I wanted to tell you that in order to combat the lure of the cookies and the muffins, the nuts and the nut butter with bananas, I have had to resort to making a big, in-case-of-emergency salad ahead of time.  When I am NOT hungry.

It’s working.

It’s really not anything groundbreaking, but I will share the steps.  Cut up all your salad toppings ahead of time.  They will last a good 5-7 days (sealed tightly), in your refrigerator.  Have it all peeled, washed and dried, and diced, and seasoned and ready.  Dice the meat and hard boiled eggs.  Do not leave one step for yourself, or you will lose your focus in the heat of the moment when you have hit the hunger wall, and turn to something faster and sweeter.

When the time comes, you will thank yourself.  All that fresh produce I purchased is way more enjoyable before it is halfway wilted and slimy anyway.

Keep at it!
Leigh

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