Paleo Pumpkin Bread

When eating strict paleo I try to have a "bread" of some sort around at all times.  It helps with the cravings and makes you feel less like you're on a diet, and more so that you're just living this lifestyle.

This is so delicious that most people can't tell that it doesn't have flour or sugar!  Enjoy!

½ cup (generous scoop) Coconut Flour

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp Ground Nutmeg

¼ tsp Ground Cloves

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

½ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Sea Salt

½ cup + a little more Organic Pureed Pumpkin

6 eggs

4 Tblsp Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Pure Grade B Organic Maple Syrup

1/4 cup Honey

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Organic unsweetened Raisins or Walnuts if desired (about ½ cup to taste)

Preheat the oven to 400°.  Wisk dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixer, beat eggs.  Add remaining ingredients except for pumpkin and mix well.  Add pumpkin and mix again.  Slowly mix in flour and beat until most of the flour lumps are gone.  Fold in raisins, etc.

Grease loaf pan VERY VERY well with cooking spray.  If you’re making muffins, use a bare pan well greased, or aluminum foil muffin liners.  Do not use paper as it will stick to the muffins.

Bake Bread for approx 30mins or until cooked through.  Start checking it at 25mins as some ovens cook differently.  

Bake Muffins for 18-20mins

Makes 12 muffins or 1 loaf of bread

Football Sunday, Paleo Style

Who says you still can't enjoy "Football foods" and be healthy paleo?  Well, make these for those nay-sayers and shut them up with a mouth full of BACON, BABY!


Sausage Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños 

Preheat oven to 365
You'll need:
- Jalapeños (divide the number of total pieces you want by 4 and that's how many peppers you need to buy.  Each pepper makes 4 pieces).
- Hot Sausage (I use our grocery stores organic brand)
- Bacon (divide the number of total pieces by 2. Each slice makes 2 pieces).

Simple:
Cut the tops off jalapeños.  Then, cut in half, lengthwise (hot dog style).
Destuff the jalapeño core and seeds. *Read warning below for this part
Cut each long piece in half width-wise (hamburger style).
Stuff each pepper piece with a ball of sausage
Cut each bacon piece in half and then wrap around the pepper/sausage.

Place wrapped pieces on a foil lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20-30mins depending on your oven and how crispy you want the bacon.
Turn each piece over and broil on high for 2-5mins to crisp up the bacon which was resting on the pan and needs a bit more of a crunch.

Let cool (duh), and enjoy!


*Warning- pull your shirt up over your mouth/nose during the jalapeño prep part of this recipe.  I was quickly resembling a chain smoking cougher before I realized what was happening.  The fumes from the jalapeño seeds will definitely get to ya'.  But, like childbirth, totally worth it.

** Ps- Thanks Steph for this recipe!

I'm Baaack

Well, after like, a bajillion years off, I'm back.  I've had 2 kids along the way and have gotten "fat," thus, it's time to focus on staying "strict" paleo and get ME back!

I hope to use this blog to keep on track, and also force myself to branch out from our "same 10 meals" menu.  If I know people are reading I'll be forced to put some new stuff on here...at least that's the theory.

During our four years of eating paleo, we've learned a few things:

1) It's not easy, but can be made very manageable.  Sure heating up a microwave dinner, or picking something up through the Drive-Thru is much easier, but with the right prep work a delicious paleo meal is not out of the question each night.  I'll share some tips each week.

2) It's nearly impossible to be STRICT paleo and live a normal life. Work, kids, husband, household chores, laziness, etc all get in the way.  There's no way in H-E-Double Hockey Sticks that I'm making my own mayo, bbq sauce, ketchup...you get the idea. Ain't nobody got time for that!

3) It's a lot easier to have kids eating paleo than we thought.  It actually makes life much easier, we all eat the same meal and that's that.  I don't have to make a billion things each night!

4) We feel SO much better when eating paleo.  Sure Five Guys is awesome, but it doesn't make your body feel very good.

So...with that said, here's to a year of new recipes, tips/tricks, and vivid dreams (all you paleo people know what I'm talking about)!  Cheers!