Paleo Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

I love Autumn...love everything about it!
The temp drops (Amen) and the air turns crisp...
Candy Corn and Pumpkin Spice Lattes...

I've long since given up pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks...but my passion for all things pumpkin pie still runs deep...
You notice I didn't say anything about candy corn...still addicted and still indulge...I just don't eat the whole bag these days :)

To fill the pumpkin spice void in my world,  I created this yummy smoothie...all the flavor I crave...made to fit into my Paleo lifestyle...

Although you really don't need to be Paleo to enjoy this awesome smoothie!!!




Paleo Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1/2 cup organic canned pumpkin
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup organic unsweetened coconut milk ( canned not carton)
2 tbsp Flax meal
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice*
1 tsp cinnamon
Honey, coconut sugar or stevia to taste (I use 8-10 drops of stevia most days.)
Handful of ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in blender and pulse until combined and smooth. Pour into your fave glass, add a straw and enjoy!

I LOVE pumpkin pie spice...feel free to use less or more...whatever makes you happy

Paleo Red Curry Beef

This quick and easy curry is a dinner winner in my house! It is mild and creamy, which means family friendly...if you want more kick, add a squirt or two of sirracha sauce to your bowl :)

For my paleo friends, serve it as is, on top of cauliflower "rice", baked sweet potato, whatever makes you happy. Not into paleo...serve it over steamed rice (that's how my hubby and kids  prefer it).

1 lb grass fed ground beef
1 tbsp. coconut oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped (you can use any color pepper, it's up to you)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 tbsp. red curry paste
1 can organic coconut milk (full fat or low fat is cool)
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. coconut sugar
handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

In a large skillet on medium heat, cook ground beef until browned and cooked through. Remove meat from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Melt tbsp. of coconut oil in skillet. Add onions, pepper, garlic and ginger. Cook until veg softens and onions are golden. Add curry paste and stir to coat veg. Cook curry paste until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and coconut sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until sauce reduces and thickens, about 20  minutes. Add basil, stir and cook 1 more minute and serve...Enjoy!

Moroccan Inspired Meatballs

Whenever my hubby travels to some new country, I like to read up on the "food culture" of that country. He spent last week in London with a side trip to Rabat, Morocco. I promptly began googling Moroccan foods and recipes and most of what I read sounded delish.

While he was gone, the kiddos and I made a trip to Barnes and Nobles for some new reading material. While the kids were doing their thing, I was happily browsing the cookbooks and came across a new Paleo cook book titled Well Fed. This book was going home with me....the recipes sounded amazing and the pictures... oh so drool worthy.

 

Chris came home and  raved about the food which meant I needed to head to the kitchen and cook all things Moroccan :)

 

Fast forward to me actually having a few quiet moments to look through my newest cook book...and what do I find???? A recipe for Moroccan meatballs. Funny how things always seem to happen for a reason. Chris travels to Morocco, I research Moroccan food culture, hubby comes home raving about the darn food and now my latest cook book has a recipe for Moroccan meatballs...fate it seems wants me to feed my family a Moroccan inspired meal!!!

 

Using the meatball recipe in Well Fed as my inspiration, I created my own version.

To keep it Paleo, serve with mashed sweet potatoes, cauliflower rice or a yummy salad. For my non-paleo peeps, serve atop a fluffy bed of mashed potatoes or basmati rice.

For The Meatballs

1 lb ground veal

1 lb ground beef

1 egg

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp paprika (sweet not hot style)

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste (save remaining paste for sauce)

 coconut oil

For The Sauce

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (I use Glen Muir)

Reserved can of tomato paste

1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, combine meatball ingredients and gently mix with your hands to thoroughly combine. Using a melon ballet or small spoon, scoop about one tablespoon of meatball mixture and shape with your hands into balls.

In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp coconut oil over medium heat. Sauté meatballs  (working in batches)  until well browned. Remove meatballs to a plate and keep warm.

Once all meatballs have been cooked, add  1 tablespoon coconut oil to pan. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add spices to pan and stir. Next add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Stir to blend. Reduce heat to simmer and cover skillet. Simmer 45 minutes and then remove lid and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness.

Paleo Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies - Version 2.0

Most paleo cookie recipes use almond flour. These little gems use quinoa flour and are delish!!! Mr. Picky Pants was actually skeptical about them being paleo...thought they tasted liked regular cookies! Oh and to keep the paleo police at bay, let me just tell you that quinoa is NOT a true grain. It is in fact, a seed. Many paleo peeps include quinoa in their diets and many don't...it's your choice..."whatever makes you happy"!

1 stick organic pasture fed butter, softened
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/8 cups quinoa flour*
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips*

Preheat oven to 375* and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In stand mixer, using paddle attachment, cream butter (3-5 minutes). Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking soda to bowl and blend well on medium speed. Add chocolate chips and blend to combine.

Place heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before removing cookies to a baking rack.

Enjoy!!!

*You can find quinoa flour right next to the almond flour in the baking aisle at HEB. I use Bob's Redmill brand.
**Use your favorite chocolate chips/chunks. I use Enjoy Life brand. They are dairy, nut and soy free and can be found right beside the reg chocolate chips at HEB.

"Paleo-licious" Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

I made these little balls of joy last night and they were a HUGE hit!!! Even Mr. Picky Pants loved them (and that's saying something).

The original recipe came from The Frisky Lemon...great blog...check it out! I tweaked the recipe a tad...I was out of vanilla extract (my new batch won't be ready for a couple more months), so I scraped one whole vanilla bean and used the bean paste instead. If you are super strict Paleo, use the coconut oil instead of the butter...you know my motto..."do whatever makes you happy"! You also don't have to dip these in chocolate, they are amazing straight up plain...I had to shoo Tori away form the bowl, she kept stealing dough!

2 1/2 cups Almond Meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/3 cup raw honey
3 tbsp coconut flour
8 tbsp salted butter (organic pasture fed is best), softened or 8 tbsp coconut oil (do not melt the oil)
1 tbsp vanilla or paste from one vanilla bean
1 cup chocolate chips/chunks*
Additional chocolate and coconut oil for dipping - optional

In a mixing bowl, cream butter (or oil), honey and vanilla until well blended and creamy. I used a rubber spatula and it worked great...no need to dirty your stand mixer :)

Once butter mixture is nice and smooth, add in the almond meal one cup at a time. Stir well after each addition. Next add the coconut flour 1 tbsp at a time, stirring well to combine. Stir in chocolate chips and using a small ice cream scoop (or a spoon) make walnut size balls. Place balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in freezer for 15-20 minutes.

While truffles are chilling, melt a cup of chocolate chips with a tbsp of coconut butter in a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine.

Using a fork, dip each truffle into chocolate and coat. Tap fork on edge of bowl to remove excess chocolate and return truffle to baking sheet. Repeat until all are dipped. Return baking sheet to freezer 5 minutes to harden chocolate. Once chocolate is set, place truffles in resealable container and store in fridge...Enjoy!

*Use your favorite chocolate chips...I like Whole Foods semi sweet chocolate chunks, but use what makes you happy.

Everybody’s Favorite Banana Pudding

Here it is....everybody's favorite banana pudding. Tori calls it famous...Chris calls it the best ever...I call it an easy dessert that feeds a ton of people!  I made it for a function today and someone asked for the recipe...I pulled up the blog and realized that I  never put it on here...what the heck is wrong with that picture?! The orginal recipe is from Paula Deen...I tweaked it a tad and love the results.

 1 box vanilla wafers (regular ones...NO low fat or fat free)

3 to 4 bananas, sliced (depending on size of your bananas)

2 cups whole milk

2 -  3.4 oz boxes instant  vanilla pudding

1 -  8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1  - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 -  12 oz container cool whip, thawed

 Line the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish with vanilla wafers. Top cookies with a layer of bananas.

In a large bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well. In a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix with paddle attachment on medium high until smooth and creamy. Fold the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture.Next add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and gently stir until well blended. Spoon half the pudding mixture over cookie/banana layer. Place another layer of cookies and bananas on top of pudding. Spoon remaining pudding over the top and spread to cover completely. Cover with saran wrap and chill at least 12 hours before serving.

Serve pudding with lightly sweetened whipped cream.