Paleo Ginger Molasses Cookies

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If you don’t like molasses, turn away!  I love the smoky, spicy, sweetness of this cookie, and I think that flavor profile goes perfect with the time of year.  This is an easy recipe despite all the spices.  You can easily use a pumpkin pie spice if you have one on hand, and that will have all the spices premixed for you. ;)

Paleo Ginger Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/2 cup grassfed butter (or coconut oil)
  • 1/4-1/2 cup organic unsulfered molasses (depends on how much you like molasses)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp real salt
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cardamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • chopped crystallized ginger for topping (the only ingredients should be sugar and ginger)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, and dry spices together in a large bowl.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Place the bowl of dough into the fridge while you place parchment paper on your baking sheets and chop up your crystallized ginger.

When ready, use a tablespoon to portion out the dough, roll it between your palms, press it onto the cooking sheet.  Sprinkle the ginger onto the top of each.

Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies start to set!

Paleo Truffles: 1 batch, 3 flavors

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truffles

I made one batch of truffles this year but decided to split the chocolate into three different kinds because it makes a lot!  I decided on these 3 flavors: lemon pepper, espresso, and almond.  I know what you’re thinking, lemon pepper?  Ang, you’ve gone off the deep end!  But let me tell you.  I saw a dark chocolate bar at Walgreens one day that was lemon pepper and thought to myself how interesting that it.  So, I bought one and I was INSTANTLY addicted!  The problem?  It had some ingredients that I would like to avoid.  That’s where the truffle idea came in!  Everyone that I have forced to taste it has said “Hmm, that’s REALLY good!”  Give it a chance. ;)

Basic truffle: (basic from Primal Blueprint Cookbook, flavor ideas were my own)

Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 5 Lindt 70% chocolate bars broken into pieces (it’s 500g, each bar is 100g but you can have the same measurement with a different bar as long as it equals 500g)

Directions:

Place coconut milk and coconut oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until coconut oil is melted and mixture comes to a boil. Do not let it go to a rolling boil.  Remove from heat.

Off heat, add chocolate pieces to the milk mixture and stir until it is completely melted.  Continue stirring until the chocolate thickens and cools a bit.

In three different bowls, put 1/3 of the chocolate each.

Lemon pepper: 1/8tsp lemon extract, zest of one lemon, 1/8 tsp pepper

Espresso: 1-2 Tbsp espresso powder, 1/8 tsp vanilla

Almond: 1/8 tsp almond extract

Stir the flavoring in. Transfer to a shallow dish for faster cooling, then to the refrigerator. Let mixture thicken at least 2 hours, stirring 3 to 4 times as it cools and thickens. Place whatever outer mixture you would like in a shallow dish. (I have used cocoa powder, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, etc)  Remove the chocolate from the fridge when it is in a clay consistency.  Form into balls and roll in the covering!  Put in the fridge and consume within a week or freeze up to a month!

Paleo S’mores Bites

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s'mores

What are these, you ask?  S’mores Bites.  I keep a list of ideas in my head (and my Ipad when I have too many to remember) and this one has been lingering around for a while.  I told you around the fourth of July that I made homemade s’mores with my friend, Lindsey.  We had everything down to the homemade marshmallows, which I had never attempted because anything with a candy thermometer just seems excessively complicated.  Well, complicated is not what I like in everyday life, but I do appreciate special effort around special occasions because the treats are that much more special.  They only pop up at special occasions, and you eventually build nostalgia around them.  You know, that thing that you go “Remember when mom used to make those amazing cupcakes?!”  Well, these are not for the faint of heart because they are exactly what I said “Slightly complicated which makes them special, and should only come out during special occasions.”  So now that I have made marshmallows successfully, I wanted a cute pop-in-your-mouth idea.  Here it goes….

This granola is my all time favorite.  It is salty and sweet.  If I am using it as granola and not s’mores bites, I add raisins in while it’s still warm after baking.  Use this recipe for everyday use, you won’t regret it!

Granola:

  • 1 cup sliced almonds or pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (I wouldn’t leave this out because the spices really adhere to it!…but would be fine without)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1 tsp salt (please keep the salt!  I love the salty/sweet effect!)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Mix all the ingredients together.

3. Put on a baking sheet lined with aluminum or a silpat, etc.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally

5. Let cool.

Marshmallows:  I used this recipe this time, but for the 4th of July I used the recipe out of Paleo Indulgences and both worked great!

For the s’mores bites, make a pan of marshmallows per the instructions and while they are setting up, make the granola.  Place your granola through a food processor to get it a little finer crumble or use good ole elbow grease and put it between 2 sheets of parchment paper and mash it up with a rolling pin.

Once the marshmallows are done, cut them into 2-bite squares.

Dip them in heated chocolate until they are covered, and immediately roll them around in the crushed granola.  Put on a baking sheet to set!  That’s it!  This is super easy other than it’s slightly intimidating due to the marshmallow production and it has two ingredients you have to make.

I know that no one will go to the effort to make these bad boys because my readers like EASY and delicious!  However, if you get a wild hair, this is one you won’t regret!!!!

 

A Look At the Facts: My Mom’s Labs AND Health Recommendations

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saturated fat

Like many corporations, my mom gets a health assessment  every year to determine her insurance premiums.  The healthier you check out, the less you pay!  Sounds great, right?!  Well, I went over her results with her the other day and ran across something that I thought was telling in terms of the huge fears people have about saturated fat.  She gave me permission to share her results and recommendations with you….so I’m doing it before she retracts!

Blood Pressure:  112/72 (in other words perfect blood pressure)

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Cholesterol:

HDL: 96

LDL: 121

Triglycerides: 50

Here’s the funny part!  She has AWESOME HDL!!!  Her Triglycerides (which are an inflammatory marker) are some of the best I’ve seen!

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Now for Recommendations:

You can see what they are telling her to avoid with the red and what to do in green.  They specifically tell her to quit eating saturated fats such as butter (see last bullet).  They tell her she is putting herself at risk for avoiding dairy and grains.  They then recommend eating low fat dairy, more than 3 servings a day of whole grains, and cut down on saturated fat!

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These AVOID and RECOMMEND lists are to enhance the health of the individual and to decrease their risk of heart disease.  WHAT?!!  She probably has the best labs of anyone there!  Yet, due to standard government guidelines, she is told to stop doing what she is doing and switch to what every other sick American is doing.  This is ludicrous.  For experimentation sake, I’d love for her to switch to eating what they recommend and see what happens.  However, I know better than that.  I want my mom around for a long time to come.  It makes me wonder if the health advisor doing this thinks to herself “Hmm, how can the person doing the opposite of my recommendations have the best labwork?”  People need to be asking these questions.  It matters not only for your health, but for the future generations.  Food provides your body building blocks to do what it is supposed to.  If you are not providing it with the right building blocks, or putting toxic building blocks in, disease results.  It is no surprise to me that humans are starting to have trouble reproducing, going to the bathroom REGULARLY, sleeping, being happy, and expressing health.  We are providing the wrong building blocks due to inappropriate recommendations and therefore we are developing autoimmune diseases, cancers, heart problems, and poor quality of life! I will not go on my soapbox this post, but I do want you to start thinking about what this may mean for you.  I became a doctor to help people find health.  Along the way, I realized food was a huge part of the answer.  I use foods to restore health, and people get better!  They have babies, go poop, sleep, smile, and have good labs all WITHOUT medications!  My mom has always had good intuition, and I’m so grateful for that!

Mashed Potatoes

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mashed potatoes

Ok.  Who needs a recipe for mashed potatoes?  Well, I think it’s worth listing what I do with my mashed potatoes because they are delicious!

First I quarter some Yukon Gold potatoes and throw them in a stock pot with the skin on.  Then I pour in some homemade chicken stock.  Make sure the tops of the potatoes are still sticking up out of the liquid or you will have way too much stock.  I let that boil until most all of the liquid is absorbed into the potatoes.  Then I mash them up with some grassfed butter until creamy.  Here you can add spices.  I usually salt and pepper.  However, one of my favorite things as a kid was mashed potatoes with French onion dip in them!  So I have also been known to add some powdered onion dip mix (from soup of success) and it gives the same flavor!

No one will miss the milk.  The stock gives them so much flavor!  Enjoy!

Peppermint Mocha Mousse Pie (Paleo, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy free)

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Every year, my mom runs out to by this amazing little pie called a “candy cane pie.”  It is just what you’d imagine, mint mousse-y goodness atop a chocolate crust that reminds me of oreo cookies.  This year, I thought that I needed to take a shot at recreating all those delicious flavors and textures in a way that won’t have me concerned for everyone’s health!  There won’t be a worry in my mind as my family (whom I want to be around for a very long time!) gobbles this up!  It’s full of healthy fats, non-toxic sugars, and minerals.  You heard me.  It actually contains things your body can use for  repair and energy and not just empty calories that will add to your waistline and death sentence!  Eat up.  Be thankful.  ;)

Peppermint Mocha Mousse Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 24 dates
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 2 Tbsp finely ground dark roasted coffee beans
  • pinch of salt

Filling:

  • 2 sticks of grassfed butter (at room temp)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • 3.5 oz 90% dark chocolate (1 full 90% Lindt bar is what I used) (*it HAS to be dark bc the chemistry needs the fat)
  • 4 free range eggs (at room temp)

Directions:

Pulse your coconut sugar through the food processor to make sure there are no chunks and it is fine. Put aside.  Then put all your crust ingredients in the food processor and pulse until it’s sticky and will adhere together when you push it into the bottom of a pie pan.

Then in a kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment on level 6, whip the butter and sugar for 1 1/2 minutes.  While that is whipping, melt the dark chocolate.  Once it’s melted, pour into the butter and sugar mixture as it’s still mixing.  Add the vanilla and peppermint. Then take off the paddle attachment and replace with the whisk attachment.  Scrape down the sides if necessary.  Start whisking on level 7 or 8.  Add one egg.  Let whisk for 5 minutes.  Add another egg.  Whisk for 5 minutes.  Add another egg.  Whisk another 5 minutes. Add the last egg and let whisk for another 5 minutes.  Done.  Pour filling onto pie crust and set in the fridge for a few hours to set completely.  Serve.

 

Maple Pecan “Taffy”

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Adapted from PaleOMG

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 stick of grassfed butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut butter (you could prob use nut butter instead)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Toast the pecans in a little butter before adding all the remaining ingredients over medium heat.  Combine together and allow to heat for 3 minutes or so stirring constantly. Pour over parchment paper, or in an 8×8, or on a silpat.  Freeze for an hour.  Cut into pieces and freeze until serving!

Banana Pancakes

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How do you spend your first morning home after listening to 20+ hours of lecture?  With banana pancakes that you cooked in the ghee you brought back, topped with pure maple syrup, and drinking a cup of your favorite Redband Coffee.  That’s how.  Mmmm.

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Preheat griddle to 325 and throw some ghee on there (or coconut oil).  Mix all the ingredients together and mash in the banana.  Ladle pancake batter onto the griddle until browned and flip!  Eat…and save the leftovers for tomorrows grab-n-go breakfast!

2015 Book Club: Why you should consider joining…

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fed up3

The 2014 book club left me new recipes, new ideas, new friends, and the same old love for teaching.  I wanted to take a moment to share the things I will continue to use from book club….

  • I learned that I love grassfed butter with lemon on my sweet potatoes.  This is addicting!  Try it!
  • I learned that I like grape leaves.
  • I learned that many of the most simple dishes are the most delish.
  • I learned that no matter how many foods I’ve eaten in my life, there will always be new stuff to try.

I also wanted to share my favorite quote/concept from the last meeting:

 

Shirley: “Dr. A, you are lucky for learning all of this info so young!”

Dr. A: “It’s so true! I am!”

Laura: “I didn’t know it when I was young, but I see it as a gift to my kids that I know it now.”

 

I went home after the meeting and thought about this a lot.  It’s so true.  It’s never too late for someone to make lifestyle changes for the better.  Heck, I’ve worked with elderly people to get them off their meds successfully!  However, there is no better reason to learn and make changes than to be that example for the future generations.  No one pays attention to what you do more than your children.  They will follow your lead.  Are you leading them down the path that you would love for them to take?

This is the single reason that someone should think about joining the 2015 book club.  Not only will you learn important concepts that will change your world, you can do it in a fun, approachable way.

Knowledge is power.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

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Bite size goodies are perfect for the holidays…pop one in your mouth and move on to the next yummy thing! I always want to try everything…but I don’t necessarily want a piece of every single pie! So, this is my compromise.

Paleo Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients for dough balls:

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • ¼ cup grassfed butter, softened (or coconut oil)
  • 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup mini enjoy life chocolate chips

Ingredients for coating:

  • dark chocolate

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, salt and cinnamon then add the butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix well.
Fold in the chocolate chips, then drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat, or parchment paper.
Put in the freezer so they don’t melt when you dip them in chocolate.
After 30 minutes in the freezer, melt 3/4 bar of dark chocolate or melt dark chocolate chips.
Roll the frozen dough balls in the chocolate and put back on the lined baking sheet. Put them in the freezer to set! I sprinkled mine with a little course salt, too. ;)