What's Cookin: Sweet & Salty Nut Bark (PALEO)

I love the combination of a sweet and salty snack!

Especially when hormones are running rampant and the two halves of my brain are at war trying to decide if they want to gorge themselves on a bag of potato chips or a box of Twinkies.

So I came up with a super simple snack that appeases both sweet and salty cravings.

That way you don't have to waste time opening two boxes/bags and can just get right to the gorging part!

Efficiency and deliciousness.

Sweet & Salty Nut Bark
Ingredients:
-Salted mixed nuts (about 1-1 1/2 cups) - I used the Kirkland brand from Costco
-Dark Chocolate (72% or higher cocoa content) - I used about 15 squares of the trader Joe's Pound plus bar

Directions:
-Place a small piece of parchment paper on top of a plate
-Spread nuts onto the parchment paper in a single layer, keeping them close together

-Melt chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave unltil melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds

-Pour chocolate over nuts and use a spoon to spread evenly

-Put the plate in the freezer for about 5 minutes to set (or until the chocolate is no longer shiny)
-Remove hardened bark from parchment, break into pieces and gobble it up!

-Store leftovers in an airtight container

For more delicious chocolate-y Paleo treats, check out my recipe for Paleo Almond Butter Cups

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

What's Cookin': PALEO Almond Butter Cups

Prior to starting a Paleo diet, my husband was a Reese's Peanut Butter cup enthusiast. 

Since those are now considered evil and malicious I decided to put myself in the running for Wife of the Year by making a Paleo version of his greatly missed candy of choice.

PALEO Almond Butter Cups
Ingredients:
Almond Butter
Dark Chocolate -72% or higher is preferred for Paleo

I like the dark chocolate from Trader Joe's pictured below.  It's 72% and you can get this huge bar (over 1 pound) for around $5 and some change.  That is the least expensive dark chocolate I have found anywhere!

Directions:
-Line MINI muffin tin with MINI paper liners.

-Melt dark chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.

 -Spread about 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolate in the bottom of each muffin cup.

-Put muffin pan in freezer for about 5 minutes to set the chocolate.

-Spoon almond butter onto top of set chocolate, filling each muffin cup about 3/4 full.

-Top the almond butter with the remaining melted chocolate.  You may need to use a spoon to help spread it around so it pours into the nooks and crannies and holds all the almond butter in.

-Place muffin tin back in freezer for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate is set and no longer shiny.

-Remove candies from tin and eat!

-Store your Almond Butter Cups in an airtight container.

À la vie et à l'amour

  -Cortney

Breakfast On The Go! (PALEO recipe)

Mornings at our house during the week are not all sunshine and rainbows.

For example-

Me: Good morning!

Daughter: I have no pants. They are all in the wash.
(Translation: "Good morning to you, too, mom".)

Me: I'll put them in the dryer while you finish getting ready and eat breakfast.

Daughter: I don't have time for breakfast!

Sometimes it goes like this-

Me:  Good morning!

Daughter or Son:  I'm STAR-VING!
(Translation: "Good morning to you, too, mom.") 

Me: What can I get you for breakfast?

Daughter or Son: We have nothing good.

Me:  We have [this and this and this and this.]

Daughter or Son:  Nevermind.  I'm not even hungry.

When I found the following PALEO recipe for On The Go Egg Bites from PaleOMG, I knew this would solve all the world's problems.

Well, at least one morning problem at our house.

On the Go Egg Bites (a.k.a Sunshine & Rainbows Breakfast Muffins)
(adapted slightly from original recipe found here)

Ingredients:
1 lb pork italian sausage
(I actually use breakfast sausage even though it's not ideal Paleo)
12 eggs, beaten
1-2 narrow sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds about 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Cook sausage in pan over medium until no longer pink.  Use your spatula to get it broken up into little pieces.  Once it's finished cooking, transfer to plate or bowl (but keep the pan and the sausage grease in it on the stove.)

3) Add sweet potato slices to the pan you used for the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes per side or until the potato is soft in the center and toasty outside.

4) Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray (prefereably PALEO) or use silicone muffin cups and place a cooked sweet potato round at the bottom of each muffin cup.

5) Top each potato evenly with the sausage.

6) Then top each tin off with the beaten egg, being careful not to let it overflow (very messy!)

7) Cook in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes (mine take the full 15) until the egg is no longer jiggly when you shake the pan slightly.

8) Let them cool a little then top with some salsa.
9) Refrigerate the leftovers.  If you have any!

 They are also great reheated in the microwave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

And the best part...my kids can grab one and eat it on the way to school!

Need more PALEO breakfast recipes?

Click here for PALEO Blueberry or Banana Nut Muffins.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

If It Has A Face...Eat It! (& a Paleo Blueberry Muffin recipe)

My husband started following a Paleo/Primal diet about a year and half ago at the suggestion of a cardiologist acquaintance.

He receives lots of questions (and often some weird looks) about the diet.

Without going into all the science crap-ola behind it I'm going to just sum it up with this flow chart that my friend, Tracy, sent me:

That's simple enough, right?

If it has a face...eat it!

If you want more info about the science part of Paleo/Primal and all the health benefits, blah blah blah, you can check out this link or this one, or this one.

These guys are smart.

And they tell you to eat good food that's pure and nutritionally dense and real
like butter (not margarine) and bacon,

and that hasn't been processed and turned into something it was never meant to be.

Like a jackalope.

via

Which is NOT a jack rabbit bred with a cantaloupe as some may believe.

It's a jack rabbit who mated with an antelope.

Which is also impossible because...

well, it just is.

But, if it were an actual non-mythical animal, you could eat it if you are Paleo.

Because it has a face.

When my husband first started eating Paleo I, as the family chef, was terrified about how I could possibly cook according to this plan.

I initially thought this was just another one of his schemes to drive me insane.
(I know...short drive.)

But it's actually been surprisingly easy and our entire family is eating healthier.

And my husband has lost 40 pounds!

via

Neither of these men are my husband.
I just wanted to show you how much of a difference an extra 40 pounds can make.
And a mustache.
And a giant gold cross.

But since the diet is anti-sugar and anti-flour, baked treats have been my one true nemesis.

(Every superhero has one!)

Not long ago I found this site called PaleOMG.

The author, Juli, is very funny (and never preachy about the whole Paleo thing) and has TONS of yummy recipes (including Paleo sweet treats) that we have incorporated into our regular rotation!

My absolute favorite is her recipe for Simple Blueberry Muffins which I have modified slightly 

(most likely because I was out of something the original recipe called for and too lazy and hungry to drive to the store to get it.) 

I also made additional changes to it so that we could have Banana Nut Muffins sometimes, too.

And when we're feeling super naughty we sometimes have chocolate chip muffins.

Made with dark chocolate.

Because that is still an acceptable Paleo food.

And so is wine.

Because our cave-people ancestors ate dark chocolate and drank wine
in between hunting buffaloes.

And chickens.

via

Simple PALEO Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup almond butter (I buy it at Sam's in bulk for really cheap!)

1 cup almond meal/flour (I make my own in a food processor by grinding up almonds)

3 eggs, whisked

1/2 cup raw honey (raw is better than the kind in the bear shaped bottle even though it's not as cute)

1/3 cup coconut powder (I buy mine at the Indian grocery store-they have good stuff!)

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of cinnamon

*1 cup blueberries (I use frozen but fresh is good, too!)

*For Banana Nut muffins, omit the blueberries and add 1 small bananas cut up into pea size bits and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

*For Chocolate Chip Muffins, omit blueberries and add dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa content or higher is best)

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) Mix everything in a big bowl.  I like to mix my dry ingredients separately and then add the wet ingredients and mix together but usually I'm in a hurry so I just mix it all up at the same time.

3) Spoon muffin mixture into a muffin tin lined with paper or silicone baking cups.

4) Bake for 15-20 minutes (mine take 18.)  I usually do the toothpick test to make sure they are done because they tend to be gooey in the center if you don't cook them long enough.

5) Eat 'em!  Or hide 'em.  Because your family will try to eat them all before you get to have a second one.

And if you chose to make the Banana Nut Muffins instead, they look like this!

Enjoy!

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Easy Asian Chicken Salad

Merry Christmas Eve!

Hopefully you've finished all of your holiday shopping already but, if not, this could be a very busy day for you!

This recipe for Asian Chicken Salad can be thrown together in about 5 minutes or less so you can eat fast then be back out there picking up those last few stocking stuffers!

Asian Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
-1 bag of salad - I use the romaine that is mixed with carrots
-2 cups of coleslaw mix - you can find bags of coleslaw mix located near the bag salad
-1-2 stalks of green onions, cut into really small pieces - I use kitchen scissors to snip mine
-1 can of sliced mandarin oranges, drained of all the juice
  handful of sliced or slivered almonds
-1 rotisserie chicken - I just use the breasts for the salad and pull it apart into bite size 
  pieces
-1 bottle of  Makoto Ginger dressing (you can find it near the bagged salads):

OR 
-1 bottle of Kraft Asian Sesame Dressing if you like your dressing sweeter:

 
Directions:
Put all the salad ingredients (except the dressing) into a big bowl and toss together.
You can add the dressing to the big bowl and toss again or each person can add their own.

I like to keep my salad simple but you could add some of these if you wanted:
Snow peas
Edamame
Chopped up broccoli
Wonton strips
Crispy Chinese noodles

Enjoy!

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney