Chocolate Glaze Dip

This glaze goes perfect with the chocolate cake recipe in this blog. You can also use this as a dip for your strawberries, spread it on muffins and of course...drizzle it on your favorite Paleo ice cream. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of coconut oil

1/4 cup plus 1 TBS Agave

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 TBS coconut or almond milk

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk away until you get a smooth and creamy texture. If coconut oil is really melted, you may need to place glaze mix into fridge for a few minutes. 

Kristy

Super moist Chocolate Cake

I've came across a few Paleo chocolate cakes in my time and I have to admit that with a few tweaks here and there I have finally found one that I'm excited to blog about. I baked another one this evening and my CrossFit health fanatic husband is on his 3rd piece tonight! This cake is so fluffy and moist, it's hard to believe it's not the real thing. Not only is it delicious it's also super simple. We all know that's what this blog is all about...simple deliciousness, right Flowers?? So grab your blender and let's get this party started! 

Preheat over 350 degrees

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of unsalted grounded cashews (place cashews in blender and make sure to measure the cashews grounded) 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup agave

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBS vanilla 

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

5 eggs

Directions: 

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until the texture is like cake batter. Grease an 8" round cake pan with coconut oil and pour mixture into pan. Bake for 32 minutes or until a toothpick is free and clear. 

While cake is baking begin making the Chocolate Glaze Dip, (you can find the recipe in this blog) place glaze in fridge until you reach your preferred consistency. Once cake is turned over in a cake plate and cooled you can frost away. Warning: glaze may be addictive so try to leave some for the cake :) 

Enjoy!

Kristy 

Paleo Blueberry Bread

This is a recipe that Nancy (member at CrossFit Anaheim) sent to me after I saw her post a picture of it on her Facebook.  Thanks Nancy for your narrative.

On a hunt for baked goods, I had been craving sweets not to mention a brownie, or a piece of cake. So I began to wonder, “What can I make????” I spoke with a co-worker and we conversed about cooking and CrossFit and she tells me, “YOU NEED TO MAKE BLUEBERRY BREAD, ADD EXTRA BLUEBERRIES IF YOU ARE ABLE TO”. I went online and located a recipe on “OMG PALEO.”  

My momma (a traditional Mexican, who cooks the good stuff) looked at me with a strange glare. She was baffled that there was no flour added. She left me alone in the kitchen. I continued baking and behold I had the finish product at my disposal. I made enough for two pie tins and a loaf tin. Of course, I had to put these babies to the test. Of course my mom liked it, she is my mother.  

I brought some into work. I arrived at work at 700 hours and placed them in the office. Within 3 hours, these babies were gone. I got a lot of compliments. They were in complete “awe” when I said, “gluten free.” A supervisor I worked with before has to follow a strict gluten free diet because of a disorder he has Celiac Disease, he gave me the thumbs and basically had more than one serving. With that said, if I got the approval from fellow coworkers (majority are men) and female coworkers, I believe I succeeded with the blueberry bread? Like any other baked pastry… check to make sure its fully cooked.

Ingredients  

1 cup almond butter

1 cup almond meal/almond flour

3 eggs, whisked

½ cup Raw Honey

⅓ cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

⅓ cup Coconut Oil, melted

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon sea salt

pinch of cinnamon

½ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If you’re good at baking, you’ll know to mix the dry then the wet ingredients then mix together, but I do all the ingredients together and it works out just fine. Place ingredients into 8-10 silicone muffin cups in a muffin tin. Or you can use muffin tin paper liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it, they will puff up and look adorable. Eat them and be happy and merry.

Chocolate Blackberry Ice Cream

As far as Paleo goes, this dessert is a total change of pace and perfect for summer.  Though it tastes more like a sorbet than ice cream, its still worth making.  Up until I made this, I thought ice cream was difficult to make but, really, it requires an ice cream maker and a few ingredients. After that it's as simple as saying, “3-2-1 Go!” 

With this recipe it’s easy to experiment.  You can be a purist and just make a Paleo chocolate ice cream or you can go hog wild and add berries of your choice.    Its summer, go buy some berries from the farmer’s market.  

Like most everything I make, it’s so easy and simple to make.  The ingredients are minimal and easy to find. 

Ingredients

1.5 cups of coconut milk (don't use reduced fat coconut milk)

1/3 cup of honey

2 tablespoons of molasses

1/3 cup of cacao powder

2 cups of berries

Directions

Using a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed.   Refrigerate mixture for 2-3 hours.   

Pour mixture into ice cream maker and run for 30 min-1 hr, depending how soft you like your ice cream.   

Options

1) Use other berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc) or totally omit the berry option  all together.  

2) If using berries like raspberries, use a cheese cloth to separate seeds from the liquid.

Chocolate Truffles

These truffles are delicious and literally melt in your mouth. This non-bake recipe is super quick and easy and amazingly better than the real thing.

Ingredients:

1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave
1 small pinch of salt

* You will need a little extra cocoa powder to coat the truffle in.

Directions:

Warm the coconut oil until it is slightly soft but not melted. Combine all 4 ingredients together in a medium bowl. Using a spoon full, form small round balls of mixture and coat/roll each ball with extra cocoa powder. You may need to place mixture in freezer for a few minutes if it is too soft to form. Place completed truffle on wax paper and put them in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

Kristy :)

Chocolate Pudding

I was excited to make this but I have to admit I was a little hesitant to taste it. So I did what any good Mother would do and ask my kids if they wanted to try some delicious chocolate pudding. Although they could figure out there was a slight difference they really ended up enjoying this avocado based pudding. I ended up trying it and was pleasantly surprised by how much it tastes like the real thing.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small avocado
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup almond milk (or coconut milk)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium size bowl mash the avocado with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and whip until you reach a smooth creamy consistency.

Enjoy!

Kristy

Cheesecake

So here at CrossFit Anaheim we're in the middle of another 30 day Paleo Challenge. One of our members and a good friend of mine Christine aka "The Pusher" has been craving cheesecake on a daily basis, so...Christine this ones for you :) I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about this... I mean cheesecake made out of cashews?? Who would have thought? It really does taste like cheesecake and it's actually easier to make then the real thing. So if you're on Paleo and happen to be a cheesecake lover this is for you! ...Oh and Christine :)

Note: Cashews must be soaked for at least 4 hours or longer (overnight is fine too)

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 cups of raw cashews (soaked and drained)
2/3 cup of agave
2/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup of extra virgin coconut oil (slightly melted)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

CRUST
1/2 cup pecans (not soaked)
1/2 cup (heaping) dates pitted.
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1 small dash of sea salt

Combine all crust ingredients and place in a food processor until the combination is a sticky substance. Spread evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.

In a blender, combine the remaining ingredients and blend until you get a super creamy filling. Pour on top of crust and place in freezer for at least 4 hours. Thaw for 30 minutes and cut into small slices.

So easy!

Kristy

This recipe was modified and inspired by wholefamilyfare.blogspot.com

Apple Crisp

This is a healthy dessert that the whole family will enjoy. Feel free to use any type of apples, I chose Granny Smith. This recipe is quick to whip up but does take almost an hour to bake so plan accordingly and enjoy your house smelling like apple cinnamon. Warning: you may be tempted to eat the whole dish.....don't say I didn't warn you :)

Preheat oven to 350. Use 2 quart baking dish with cover.

INGREDIENTS

5 medium apples peeled and sliced
2 cups almond flour
4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup agave
3 tablespoon agave
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup pecans (or walnuts)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl combine almond flour, salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and nutmeg. In a smaller bowl combine oil, 1/4 cup agave, and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir together. Place apples in baking dish and toss 2 tsp cinnamon and 3 Tbs agave into the apples. Crumble mixture on top of apples. Break pecans in half and sprinkle on top. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Take cover off and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Kristy

Pumpkin Custard

So...blackmail is playing a large role in the posting of these recipes today so I apologize if you can't sense the love I usually put into my posts.

Today I bring you pumpkin custard! While doing the Whole 30 challenge I needed something that felt like dessert without it being chocolate! I love pretty much anything pumpkin flavored so I thought I'd give it a try! Not too shabby! I didn't use maple syrup since it was optional. I can imagine that would have jacked the flavor up quite a bit! If you just want a warm, hardy dessert, this could be the one for you! I found this recipe on balancedbites.com.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of sea salt
2 pinches of grated nutmeg
2 organic eggs
1/4c grade B maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk (full fat)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Set a pot of water on to boil (enough water to fill the baking pan as directed below). Combine pumpkin and all spices in one bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly then whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla and coconut milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined. Pour the custard into 6- 1/2 cup ramekins.You can also just do it in a baking pan! Just make sure that it's not too large or they may not cook in the middle. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and add enough boiling water to the dish to come up 2″ high around the ramekins. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. Serve warm or chilled.

Just as a reminder, always buy the canned coconut milk that you would find in the Thai food section of the grocery store! Don't buy the stuff in cartons. The cartons do not contain full-fat coconut milk.

I hope you enjoy it! Let me know if there are any modifications that you come up with. A squash one probably wouldn't be too bad!

Becca

Banana Bread

Here at CrossFit Anaheim, Paleo Love’n is in the air.  You know…. we get inspired by each other’s Paleo cooking because they are excited share their food with you.   Then, in turn, you make something Paleo and share it with them, your Paleo Pals….and so continues the awesome gift of Paleo Love’n.   This Paleo Banana Bread recipe is one of those inspirations, which came from a CrossFit Anaheim member (thanks Michelle).  She found this recipe on www.elanaspantry.com.  The recipe is simple and basic.  It makes me wonder why I have not stumbled across this recipe.   

The flavor is subtle and not very sweet.  If you are looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, this probably isn’t the recipe for you.  However, if you’re looking for something “bread-y”, subtly sweet, love bananas, and need something to accompany your morning coffee, then this would do the trick.  Smear a little grass-fed butter on a warm muffin and it would be HEAVEN.  Okay, now, my mouth is watering.  Remember, everything should be eaten in moderation, particularly anything that contains a modest amount of sugars.  Please don’t eat a dozen of these muffins in one or two sittings.

Sadly, no bacon was added to this recipe:(  Perhaps walnuts would be a better choice.

In case you are counting your calories, each serving is about 241 calories (12 grams of Carbs (16 of which are sugars), 20 grams of Fat and 6 grams of Protein). 

Ingredients:

3 bananas (about 1.5 cups) mashed

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of real vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of honey

¼ cup of vegan palm oil shortening or coconut oil

2 cups of almond flour or almond meal

½ teaspoon of sea salt

1 teaspoon of baking soda

What to do:

Mix bananas, eggs, vanilla and honey in a food processor.  Pulse ingredients together.  Then pulse in almond flour, salt and baking soda.  Scoop batter into cup cake muffin tins or a greased 7.5”X3.5” inch loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 min.  Remove and cool. 

Enjoy, 

Flowers

Paleo Brownies...Dessert has arrived!

Yeah, no joke….Paleo brownies! I first encountered the brownies sitting on a conference table at work.  I assumed they were regular sugar-laden brownies.  Then a co-worker, who made the brownies, informed me the brownies were Paleo!!!  I was offered a brownie, which was an offer I could not refuse.  I know what you are thinking….are they really that good?  Hell to the yes!  In fact, within seconds of eating the soft and chewy morsel, I did the happy dance.  I was in brownie heaven.   These particular brownies are not as sweet as your from-the-box brownie, which is fine in my book.  In fact, these brownies are bitter-sweet, moist and chewy. 

I did a web search for Paleo brownies and, as you would guess, there are tons of Paleo brownie recipes in cyberspace.  Some Paleo brownie recipes are date-based, some are almond-based, and yet others are fig-based.  This particular recipe is walnut-based.  In comparison to some of the recipes out there, this recipe is fairly simple to follow and has a minimal number of ingredients with maximum return in flavor. 

In case you are counting calories, each brownie is approximately 168 calories (26 g of carbs (21 g of which are sugar), 8 grams of fat and 3 grams of proteins).  I don’t recommend eating the whole batch of brownies in one sitting.  As with anything in life, moderation is key.

This particular recipe came from www.crossfitelpaso.com but I took liberties and modified the recipe to my liking. 

Ingredients

16 ounces of walnut butter (throw walnuts in a food processor until buttered)

1 egg

1 cup of light agave nectar

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (pure)

0.5 cup of cocoa

0.5 teaspoon of sea salt (I used a fine grain sea salt)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

3 slices of crispy bacon (chopped into bits)

What to do

Mix together walnut butter, vanilla extract, egg and agave nectar in a large bowl.  Once completely mixed, add in cocoa, sea salt and baking soda.  Mix until the batter is smooth.  You may need to make sure all lumps of cocoa are mixed in completely.  Lastly, fold in bacon. 

Instead of pouring into a greased baking pan, I spooned the batter into cupcake tins, which yielded about 12 cupcakes.  Bake at 325 degrees for 30 min.  

Happy Eating, 

Flowers