Egg Cupcakes & Berry Chocolate Smoothie

I wont bore you with everything, but I did make the egg cupcakes again this morning.  Only instead of the usual vegetables, I changed it up a bit.  I put onions, sun-dried tomatoes & feta cheese in the mix.  The cheese melted throughout and didn't leave a cheese feel at all, so next time perhaps a little clump of feta to be melted on the top.  Experiments, it's what makes making food fun.

The big tryout of the day was the Berry Chocolate smoothie I found in Sarah Fragaso's book, Everyday Paleo.  I can't seem to find the recipe at her site, but I found the book at my Costco and you can see the link to Amazon for the book.

I'd run to Trader Joe's this morning, because I'd run out of Coconut milk and I had to have it for my coffee, that's when I remembered the smoothie recipe I'd seen in her book the night before.  And I caved and purchased a bag of very berry medley and some bananas.  To this I combined, coconut milk, Ghirardelli's cocoa powder, & almond butter.  This was all after I realized we did not have a blender, because it was the attachment to our Bullet, which broke.  So down came the food processor and it did a fairly good job.  There were a lot of seeds left over, but it tasted oh so yummy.

I seared some Chicken and apple sausages from Trader Joe's and our breakfast was complete.  A nice simple brunch feel, I'm satisfied and feel like I can work the day's early morning carbs away on the island tonight.

Leftover Omelet

This morning I made for us an omelet, made the way I did the French Omelet.  One large one in the griddle, with leftovers from last night.  Hamburger meat with onions, bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, mozzarella cheese & tomato sauce.

It was delicious, quick and tasty.  Large enough to satiate our hunger and tide us over for a bit.  I used 8 eggs, so it was definitely filling.  A couple of pictures are included... something simple and easy for a morning meal.

Pizza

I'm a mess in the kitchen, cutting and stirring and sauteing, however in the end the pizza looks great.  I've got left over meat for tomorrow's planned breakfast and I'm happy with the outcome.  I think next time I'd make the pizza on a pizza stone, so it can be bigger.

I'll say this much, the pizza is a thick crust that's for sure.  And it's grain free.  It is a primal pizza in that there is cheese.  I can't go without my cheese, and there is cheese in the crust.  This is the recipe that Adam found a couple of days ago and you can find it at How to Eat and Live.

I chopped up some bell pepper and mushrooms.  Opened a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and sauteed some hamburger meat with onions and garlic.  Used mozzarella cheese for the topping as well.  A can of Trader Joe's tomato sauce with oregano, basil, salt and pepper was the base.

I'm letting it cool down now.  Can't wait to feast on this pizza and not feel guilty at all.  Here's hoping to it tasting good.  Oh, I also have to get a salad prepared.

Banana Bread

I've taken longer than normal to post this experience, mostly because it's the worst thing I've cooked.  I mean it tastes good, but looks not good.  I can't even show you a good picture of what it should look like.  In going back over the way it was cooked, the only thing I can think is that I used too much water in the date mixture, because the bread didn't cook in the middle.

Our oven generally runs hot, I don't know why it didn't run hotter today, but live and learn.  I did promise failures as well as success and I need to remember that I'm not a professional chef, nor even a trained one.  I'm just a guy who picked up a cookbook and began cooking.  So, without further ado, I present to you a couple pictures of Banana Bread.  The recipe and a beautiful picture of the bread can be found on The Food Lover's Kitchen.

Salad bar at work

I filled it with the best things they had, mixed greens, chicken, turkey, grapes, mushrooms, sliced squash, slivered almonds, & sunflower seeds.

They had a raspberry dressing, I took that as well as olive oil with balsamic vinegar and olive oil with raspberry vinegar. You take what you can get when surrounded by bready, carbed up foods.

French Omelet

I made the decision to be the one who makes the food in this house.  Not that Adam can't cook, he can, he does very well.  However, I really want to eat the foods I want to eat and I can't expect him to make the foods I want to make.

So, with that being said, I waited too long to make breakfast.  He had a skype meeting at 11am, so I gave him noshy food to carry him to our lunch.  Where I made a most delicious French Omelet that I found in the best cookbook.

I made one little change, since we do eat cheese, I added some shredded cheddar jack cheese in with the ham.  I made two of these on our double long griddle.  I've included a couple of pictures, one which is the perfect cookbook picture and the one that looks like how most of us do things, a little deconstructed.

I have to say, they both tasted amazing.  Since it became a lunch, I added mixed greens with some heirloom tomatoes and a side of fresh blackberries.

Great way to start the day.

Sunday Breakfast

MENU

Bacon - Ends & Pieces from Trader Joe's.
Fried Eggs
Vanilla Pancakes - Recipe from The Food Lovers Kitchen
Toppings - Blackberries, Pure Maple Syrup, Sunflower Butter, & Honey

BACON

I really love the ends & pieces from Trader Joe's, it's clunky bits and stringy pieces that give you the best taste in the mornings.  Something that's great about this bacon for Sunday morning breakfasts, is that there is just the right type of bacon for everyone at the table.  I noticed that my grill burns hotter at the front, so when the more done pieces were removed, I slid the pieces in the back to the front and started the second batch in the back.  Little tricks I'm discovering.

FRIED EGGS

Cooked the eggs in the bacon fat, delicious, they didn't even need salt or pepper on them.  Flipping the eggs really worked this time, I waited till the eggs were slippery on the griddle, slid the spatula under them and slowly flipped them over.  Just the right consistency, on the plate they weren't too runny and just hard enough.  Even the daughter who hates eggs ate them this morning.

VANILLA PANCAKES

The link to these delicious pancakes can be found above in the menu.  I've made the cinnamon ones the past couple of weeks, but I wanted a change.  I had originally planned on making coconut bread so I could make some french toast, but I stalled and stalled and the next thing I knew it was 11pm Saturday night and I just said, oh well.  The next morning I discovered that Hayley also had a vanilla pancake recipe and it was very well received.

TOPPINGS

For toppings I found a bag of defrosted blackberries, that were juicy and as delicious on the pancakes as they were on the side.  We have picky eaters with the kids, so I also offered pure maple syrup, sunflower butter (sunflower seeds), & honey.  The choices for toppings are endless and I might explore different options later.

All in all the breakfast feast was well received and the best comment was from daughter #2, who said she was full.  And I got a round of applause from the family after their plates were cleared.  What a great morning.

Dark Chocolate Sunbutter Cups

I don't know what got into me yesterday, but I made two kinds of cookies and decided to make little chocolate butter cups.  I had some sunflower seed butter and 85% Cacao dark chocolate and the next thing I knew I had an improvised double boiler and was melting chocolate.

I'd seen it online, not in the cook book I purchased, which I have to say is the best value around.  Great pictures, explained simply and people who don't eat paleo love what I've found in it.  The Food Lover's Make it Paleo

After the chocolate was melted, I painted the inside of a mini muffin pan, placed in our freezer for 10 mins and continued to churn out a couple batches of cookies.  Then I dropped the sunbutter into the frozen chocolate and poured more chocolate on top, froze another 10 mins and voila, Dark Chocolate Sunbutter cups for my enjoyment and yours if I see you soon.

Coconut Butter Cookies

Bjo said she'd love a macaroon.  I wondered, perhaps I could make one.  I looked and found a recipe in Bruce Fife's book, and ended up using the sugar I cook with the most.  Evaporated cane sugar.  The recipe can be found below the pictures.

Coconut Butter Cookies
Prep time: 15 minBaking time: 20 minMakes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup melted butter
* 1 cup sugar
* 4 eggs
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1/2 cup Coconut Flour
* 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Butter cookie sheet.
3. Mix butter, honey, eggs, salt and vanilla together.
4. Stir in coconut flour and flakes.
5. Drop spoon-size mounds 1-inch apart on cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 min. Careful! They can burn quickly because of the addition of honey.
6. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool completely on wire rack. They will keep in a cookie jar for several days.

Coconut Flour Meatloaf

I've wanted meatloaf for such a long time, but because Adam doesn't eat grain, bread has been out of the question.  Today I bought a great, awesome book called Cooking with Coconut Flour by Bruce Fife, N. D. Inside was a recipe for meat loaf with coconut flour instead of bread crumbs.  It called for a 16 oz can of tomato sauce, I looked and we only had a can of cut tomatoes, so I took 2 and blended them with my Krups hand mixer, and yellow bell pepper instead of green.

Since the recipe isn't online anywhere, I have placed the directions beneath the picture.  It was delicious, Adam explained that he didn't know what the red stuff on top of the meat loaf was, when I explained it was tomato sauce he had an odd look on his face.  I said it replaces the ketchup, he asked what ketchup and that's how I discovered that the meatloaf he grew up with didn't have ketchup and they usually put dijon mustard on their slices.

Live and learn, he ate it and I think when I make it again, I'll use less tomato sauce as it tended to be a little too juicy.

                                

                        Fresh out of the Oven                                                    With Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup organic coconut flour

3 eggs

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

⅛ teaspoon thyme

⅛ teaspoon marjoram

1 pound ground beef

1 16-ounce can tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine coconut flour, eggs, chopped onion, salt, black pepper, thyme and marjoram in a bowl.

3. Add ground beef and 1 cup of tomato sauce and mix well.

4. Shape mixture into a loaf and place in a baking dish. Pour the remaining 1 cup of tomato sauce over the top of the loaf.

5. Bake for 1¼ hours.

Makes: 6 to 8 servings.

Bento Boxed Lunch

I find that eating at work is the worst time for me and I then make terrible choices. So we picked up these little boxes and Adam made a little lunch packed full of nutrient things that solved all cravings.  This box contains meat roll ups, ham & turkey, baby carrots, heirloom tomatoes, celery and sun butter, mellon balls & nuts.

Deconstructed Sushi

I fail at being a sushi master, I sat there, rather stood there prepared to roll the perfect California roll. I had my nori, cut cucumbers, sliced avocado and even purchased wasabi.

Rice was out of the question, however I had the left over riced cauliflower and I sautéed this in coconut oil. And wow, so delicious. When I opened the bag of nori, it ripped down the center.

I rolled it as best I could, however when I went to cut it, everything swooshed out the side. After several attempted cuts, I vowed to stop and settle with what I had. It was still delicious and I threw away the rest of the nori.

Recipe for your attempts at the perfect Sushi roll can be found at Primal Palate

Feta Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Rosemary Breakfast Sliders

I've said before, I really love cheese, so I took these rosemary sliders and added the feta. We found this griddle and it made cooking them very easy.

I did think that when I had cooked them in the pan, the coconut oil and burger grease cooked the burgers faster and easier.

These were stuffed with Mediterranean herbed feta from trader joes. The recipe was found at paleomg!

Almond Fudge Brownies

Not that much prep needed for these, and made easier since Adam introduced me to his kitchen-aid mixer.

I use trader joes crunchy undated almond butter, I am thinking of trying it with sun butter, so Lora can have them, but it'll be an experiment that could be worth it.

Recipe can be found at the food lovers primal palate.  Almond Fudge Brownies

Moroccan Pork Chops

These were so delicious, I forgot that they had to marinate for about 20 mins so we ate late, but man they were tasty.

Cumin, crushed cardamon, cinnamon, that's it. Cooked in coconut oil and served with an herbed salad.  The recipe can be found at The Clothes Make the Girl.

Egg Muffins

Very easy breakfast that can be cooked and eaten the next day as well. Wiping the tons with coconut oil made removing the muffins so easy.

The next time I make them, I plan on using mushrooms and cheese since we eat primally as well and we love cheese.

The recipe can be found at Primal Palate.

Snickerdoodles

OMG! These are so good, light and cakey and simple. When I made them, I used all one type of sugar, evaporated cane sugar from trader joes, it's the same sugar used in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

So popular even with people who have a bad opinion about gluten free foods.  The recipe can be found at Alisa Cooks

Coconut Flour Pancakes

Delicious change of pace breakfast, these had a little more cinnamon than was needed, hence the reason they were so dark. The pancake recipe uses 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and the waffle mix uses 1 tablespoon.

For toppings, I used sun butter and pure maple syrup from trader joes. I've also used fresh strawberries, and I'm thinking of making strawberry preserves to use as well.

Recipe can be found at the food lovers primal palate.

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic

Yes, you read that right and I have to say this was the easiest recipe I've cooked yet. Simple prep, simple recipe and an hour and a half later you have a delicious dish that will blow away your dinner mates.

I made this with a whole chicken, when I make it again, I plan on a cut up whole chicken, I have never had such moist white meat.

The recipe can be found at the food lovers primal palate.

Shrimp Scampi

Below is a picture of the shrimp scampi on a bed of rices cauliflower, the "rice" wasn't as good as I would have liked, not as good as it was a week later in the sushi. In the scampi it had a bitter taste, I wonder if the fact that I let it sit in a bag for a week allowed the cauliflower to marinate, I will have to try this again and cook it the same way I did in the sushi.

The recipe can be found at the food lovers primal palate.