Apple Pie Energy Balls

When you're in the mood for a healthy treat, Larabars are a go-to for many people - they're one of the few snacks that are gluten free, vegan, paleo, raw and actually taste good.  Apple Pie was always my favourite flavour of Larabar, when I used to buy them, but unless they're on sale, I rarely buy these anymore.  Firstly, because it's really easy to make your own, and secondly, because their parent company opposes GMO labelling. There are dozens of Larabar copy-cat recipes out there on the web, and so many different ways of achieving a common goal!   I've seen recipes made with apple sauce, apple chips, apple rings, and actual apples - but this is my way of making Larabar copy-cats.  These are great little snacks for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or even for an on-the-go breakfast.

Recipe notes:  My brand of apple chips was simply Fuji apples and cinnamon.  Try to find apple chips with as few ingredients as possible, or dehydrate your own apples.  If your chips don't have cinnamon, add about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the mix.

As far as dates go, I've used all different types of dates with success.  Medjool, Algerian, Deglet... they're all good!  There are subtle differences in flavour, so if you prefer one over another, use whatever you like.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 cup dates, pitted
• 1 cup apple chips
• unsweetened coconut flakes
• optional: cinnamon, splash of vanilla

Method:

1. Add dates to food processor or magic bullet and pulse until they're finely chopped.  Add the nuts and apple chips to the food processor.  Pulse until the nuts are finely chopped and the mixture holds together when you mould it in your hand.  (Don't allow the nuts to form into a paste/nut butter).  You should still be able to distinguish small pieces of nuts and dates in the mixture.

2. Prepare a dish with some coconut flakes (about a half cup)

3. Form the mixture into small, 1-1/2 inch balls.  Roll the balls in the coconut flakes.

These should be okay to keep covered on the counter for a few days, but any longer than that, you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yield: approx 15 balls

Paleo Peach Crisp for One (or two!)

Living on my own, I don't always get to my produce when it's in the best shape for eating raw, so when I was faced with a giant peach that smelled delicious, but was slightly soft, I thought I could either cut it up and mix it into my yogurt, or I could make myself a delicious Sunday morning treat.  With no grains/gluten and no refined sugar in the house, this was pretty much a no-brainer.  I dug through my pantry and fridge, and came up with a recipe that I think will become a staple in my kitchen (I plan on replacing the peach with apples in the fall - yum!)

Paleo Peach Cobbler for One

Ingredients:

Peach mixture:

• 1 ripe peach, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1/2 a vanilla bean 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Crisp mixture:

• 3 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash of sea salt
• slivered almonds (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place peaches in a bowl.  Scrape vanilla beans on top of peaches, add cinnamon and combine.

Place the fruit mixture at the bottom of a small oven-proof dish (I used a 23cm dish) or individual ramekins & set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flax, almond flour and coconut until blended.  Add the wet ingredients & spices, and mix until combined.  

Top the peaches with the crisp mixture.  Add slivered almonds if desired.  

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is a light golden brown.  

This makes an awesome breakfast when served warm... or throw some homemade vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt on the side for a quick and easy dessert.  

Paleo General Tso-Inspired Chicken

When I found some ground chicken on sale for a great price at the grocery store, I just had to pick up a package... but then I found myself wondering what to make with it.  I could have made fajitas or meatballs, but I wanted something different - and I was really in the mood for broccoli.  Fajitas and broccoli just don't go together in my mind, so I had to come up with something new!

I used ingredients that are staples in my fridge & pantry - and because I was super hungry, I had to come up with something quick.  The little bit of tapioca included in the sauce thickens it up nicely, and it tastes so good.  This recipe serves two, but I must admit - I definitely went back for seconds after finishing my first dish!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tamari sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• ½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• ½ tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ tbsp. raw honey
• ½ tsp hot sauce (optional, according to preference)
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp tapioca flour
• Spices to taste (I used a few shakes of chili pepper, and crushed red pepper)

Chicken:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250 grams ground chicken (1/2 package)

Side:

• 1 cup frozen broccoli

Method:

• Add all ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.

• Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a pan. Add the chicken once the oil is hot. Once the chicken is browned, add the sauce to the chicken. Cook a few minutes longer until the sauce thickens.

• Meanwhile, steam your broccoli using a steamer and a shallow pot of water.  If desired, you can add a little bit of minced garlic to the broccoli for a little bit of extra flavour.

• To serve, place the broccoli in the bottom of a dish, and spoon the chicken on top, allowing the sauce to drizzle over the broccoli.  

Note: this would also taste great with some jasmine or basmati rice, if you allow rice into your diet!

Servings: 2

The recipe doesn't take long at all to prepare - maybe 30 minutes max from ingredient gathering to final meal, so it makes it perfect for a work night.  I think it would taste great as leftovers too, however, I would probably steam the broccoli fresh the next day - microwaved/reheated broccoli doesn't always have the same flavour.

I'm pretty sure that this recipe will be added to my current rotation of weeknight dinners - how about you? Are you going to give it a shot?  Leave tips in the comments if you try it or customize it for yourself!

Sugar Alternatives for the Health Conscious

As I venture through my thirties, I find myself becoming more aware of the products I put into my body. Last week, the World Health Organization advised that sugar should make up just 5 per cent of our daily calorie intake, which is half of its previous recommendation.  And one of the sad facts of the North American diet is that even if you avoid all desserts, you're still putting way more sugar into your body than it needs.  Sugar is hiding in everything from cereals (even the "healthy" ones), to fruit juices (even the "natural" ones), salad dressings, pretty much everything on a fast food menu, and so on.

Even worse than regular white table sugar are the alternatives that are marketed to dieters and diabetics. Products like Equal, Splenda and other aspartame-based products are pumping chemicals into your body which may or may not have health risks such as cancer attached to them.  I'd definitely prefer to avoid those.

Don't even get me started on High Fructose Corn Syrup.

So, what are we supposed to do, living in a world surrounded by sugar?  Ideally, the best course of action would be to change your taste buds.  Train them not to crave the sweet anymore.  If you're serious about this, my best advice would be to follow the Whole 30 plan for one month.  It's HARD.  But I did it.  And you can too.  And it's worth it.

If you're not quite ready to go that far, here's a list of the sugar alternatives that I like to keep on hand in my pantry:

Coconut Sugar
Coconut Sugar (aka coconut palm sugar) is derived from the sap of the coconut palm.  The sap is heated to remove water content, and then crushed into granules.  It looks and tastes similar to brown sugar.  It's low on the glycemic index, and can be used at a 1:1 ratio in most recipes.  Coconut sugar is gaining popularity in North America and can be found in many grocery stores (I actually saw some in No Frills, our local discount grocer, last night!), or it can be ordered online.


Maple Syrup
Maple Syrup is personally, one of my favourite sweeteners to use.  It is readily available, and easy to use.  When replacing sugar with maple syrup in baked goods, you will probably need to reduce the amount of other liquids by about a quarter to a third. Slightly less easy to find in stores is maple sugar, which is the dehydrated, granulated form of maple syrup.  But it may be easier to replace in recipes.



Honey (Raw, Local)

Honey, particularly raw, local honey if you can find it, is an excellent choice as a sugar alternative.  It has health benefits beyond many sugar alternatives as it aids in local allergies and is packed with vitamins.  It is sweeter than table sugar, and packs more calories.  Honey has a different flavour than most other sugars, so it may not always be the best substitute in baked goods - but it is definitely excellent in a cup of tea.



Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol and is commonly found in chewing gum, as it's known for its tooth remineralizing properties.  In its granulated form, it is very low on the glycemic index and can be replaced 1:1 with sugar.  It has fewer calories than sugar and is absorbed slower by the body, which makes it an excellent alternative for diabetics.  The one down-side to xylitol that I've read about is that it may produce a laxative effect if consumed in high quantities.  I've personally never experienced this, but since reading it, I avoid using it as a substitute in recipes calling for a large amount of sugar.

Stevia
Stevia is derived from a plant in the sunflower family.  It comes in various forms:
granulated, powdered, or liquid drops being among the most popular.  The liquid form is often flavoured.  Stevia is popular as a sugar substitute because it has zero calories, zero carbs and is at zero on the glycemic index.  Depending on the brand, stevia can have a licorice-type aftertaste, so it's not necessarily my favourite of the sweetener alternatives, but it definitely has its place on this list.


**Note: One other sugar alternative that I do not personally use is Agave Syrup.  I've read a lot of pros and cons on agave, and I'm not convinced that it's any better than table sugar, or any of the sugar alternatives I currently use in my own home.  Feel free to discuss your thoughts in the comments!

Primal seafood medley with garlic-butter sauce

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes, I have stockpiles of stuff in my freezer, and no real ideas for it.  We had a couple of bags of seafood that were buy-1-get-1-free at our grocery store... I think they were originally bought for Christmas Eve, but we didn't end up making them that day and they just remained.  This recipe is a really simple way of bringing out the natural flavours of the seafood without being either too bland, or being drenched in sauces.  It does feature a garlic-butter sauce, which was perfect for dipping - we also drizzled it over the green beans served on the side for some extra flavour.  It was perfect for a gorgeous Florida afternoon, and we ate it outside on the back porch in the sun!

For seafood:

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
bag of mixed seafood
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 a lemon
oregano and parsley to taste
(salt if desired)

Method:

1. Melt butter in pan.  Add minced garlic and sautee over medium heat.

2. Once you can start to smell the garlic & butter melting together nicely, it's time to add your seafood.  If it's frozen, it's best to defrost it first (at least partially), so that you don't get a lot of water in the pan as it cooks down.

3. Continue to sautee over medium heat, and slowly add in your white wine, juice of half a lemon, and spices.

4.  Remove from heat when cooked - should be about 15-20 min.

(Serve with garlic-butter sauce, and a veggie on the side - we liked green beans!)





For sauce:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
2 tsp minced garlic
salt to taste

Method:

1. In a small saucepot, melt 1/3 cup butter.
2. Once melted, add 2 tsp minced garlic, and salt to taste.  Allow the butter to cook down and clarify.
3. Remove from heat right before serving.

(This should be more than enough butter for the seafood, plus some left over)


Serves 2-3.

Do you have a favourite way to prepare seafood?  Did you try this recipe?  Leave a note in the comments and let me know!

Paleo Turkey Burgers & Homemade Ketchup!

Last night, I needed to use up some ground turkey that I had taken out, and I wanted something quick and easy.  Well, I sort of failed at the "quick" part - but I did come up with something relatively easy, tasty and delicious!  

I based my turkey burgers on this post, but used only ingredients that I had in the house.   

Mine were a little something like this:

1 lb ground turkey

3 tbsp cauliflower puree (Yup - I keep various vegetable purees in the freezer, for whenever the need should arise!)

2 tbsp homemade salsa

1 tbsp onion flakes

1 tbsp garlic flakes

splash of tamari sauce

splash of Frank's Red Hot sauce

1/2 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

I mixed all this goodness together in one big bowl, and formed into 6 patties.  Placed the patties on w axed paper, and cut the individual squares of waxed paper out, as suggested in the original recipe (brilliant idea! Makes it so much easier to transfer the patties into the pan!)

At first, I was afraid that these would not hold together well and that I would have to turn my burgers into sloppy joes... but I had a little patience, and they actually turned out great.  I might consider adding some almond flour to them next time.  They did have to cook a lot longer than I expected...probably at least 20-30 minutes.

The ketchup was SUPER easy.  I got it straight from this post.  I followed it exactly, except that I made half the recipe.  Tastes just like regular ketchup!

Have you tried anything new lately?

The War on Sugar

A story surfaced in the news today about how some U.S. researchers want to put a tax on products containing sugar (such as beverages, cereals, etc).  I know it's a bit of a controversial viewpoint, but I actually completely agree with this.  If you had asked me a few months ago, I wouldn't.  But ever since I've adopted a primal lifestyle, I've realized how pervasive sugar actually is in our lives.

Here's the thing.  Until you really start to look at food labels, you don't actually realize how much sugar you consume on a daily basis.  I would be totally fine with it, if I was consciously choosing to eat sugar, like a cupcake or a chocolate bar as a treat.  But the fact is, in our society, sugar is hiding in nearly EVERY. SINGLE. THING. that isn't harvested from the ground (and even then, if you pick up a package of "dry roasted almonds" or some canned/frozen vegetables, which are cheaper than fresh,... they'll usually have sugar in them! What's up with that?!) 

Grocery shopping is a frustrating thing for me these days.  I mostly just stick to the perimeter of the store now, because every time I go into the aisles, I am shocked to find sugar (or one of its counterparts: aspertame, high fructose corn syrup and so on) hiding even in healthy foods, or places you wouldn't expect it (anything from tomato sauce to so-called "healthy" whole wheat crackers or power bars).  Now, I don't think anyone should be forced to eat a certain way - do whatever you like.  BUT, I do think it should be a lot clearer when you're consuming something that you may think is "healthy" but actually has horrible ingredients.  And I think mass manufacturers of food have gotten away with hiding sugar for far too long.

By buying and consuming convenience foods throughout the years, these mass manufacturers have managed to change our tastebuds.  "Real" foods don't taste good anymore.  We need everything to be sweeter.  And then they wonder why the diabetes rates are higher today than they have ever been in history.  And then, instead of educating and preventing... we have high profile celebrities who promote drugs as the solution!  Excuse me as I stand on my soapbox, but really... What kind of society do we live in?!

So YES, I think we should TAX the sugar, and give even higher taxes to the companies that are destroying the health of the population!  Make people think about what they put in their mouths, and make companies foot the bill for the diabetes and other diseases that they are (in part) causing.  Teach people how to prepare their own food, and make "convenience" food that is not only affordable, but is ACTUALLY healthy, for the times that people just can't prepare their own snacks and meals.  And teach people how horrible the processed food they've been consuming for years and years - and hopefully steer people away from that direction.

Is it too much to hope for a world where real food lines the shelves, sugar is only available in treats (and in moderation), and I can shop in a grocery store without having to spend 2 hours, because I'm reading every single label (or conversely, shopping in a high-end "crunchy granola" store, and having to spend $200 for a week's groceries?) 

What do you think?  Would you support a tax on sugar - or is it just another case of government interfering too much in our daily choices?

Primal Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Tom and I have been sticking to a primal diet for the last four weeks, and have been feeling absolutely great! My favourite part about it is that I haven't really had to limit most of my favourite foods, because there's a way to make everything primal - sometimes it just takes a little bit of extra thought.

If you're new to the primal lifestyle, first check out Mark's Daily Apple.com for the basics, and also have a look at my Pinterest board to see some of the awesome things you can make.

And now, without further ado,  here is our recipe for Primal Honey Garlic Chicken Wings.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken wings 
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tsp tapioca powder (optional)
• touch of maple syrup (optional)

Method:

1. Broil wings until cooked - cook on one side until golden brown, then flip. (About 30 minutes total - oven times vary, please ensure they are fully cooked before proceeding.)

2. Combine honey, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, arrowroot powder & maple syrup in a bowl.

3. Add sauce mixture to a sauce pan, and cook over medium low heat, until it begins to thicken.  If it does not thicken, you may add the tapioca powder, and it should thicken pretty instantly.

4. When the sauce is thick, remove from heat.  Add the chicken wings to a glass bowl, and pour the sauce over top.  Toss with metal tongs and serve!