Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Everyone had been asking for a Paleo Chocolate Zucchini bread on the challenge, so I finally got over the fear of zucchini I have had for the past almost 8 months and made it :) I found the recipe on PaleOMG.com and I doubled the recipe... thank goodness, if I didn't it would have been a pretty tiny loaf! The bread was delicious... moist, extremely chocolaty and pretty much guilt free I thought! Definitely recommend!! Also- for those of you with picky kiddos - you don't see any green in this bread, as far as I am concerned you can tell them it is chocolate bread ;) Next time I make this bread, I am going to experiment a little - add some banana, walnuts and probably coconut!!

2 medium zucchinis (3 cups) shredded and drained well

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups peanut butter or almond butter (I use PB, next time will try AB, can also use sunbutter)

2/3 cup raw honey

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional but I love it so I added it)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

  

Directions:

• Shred and drain the zucchini well. You want it to be pretty dry.
• Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until fully incorporated
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes if you are doing one large loaf like I did. You want a tooth pick to come out pretty clean but not too dry - want to keep that bread moist.
• Let cool and serve!!



Leftover Pancake Batter Muffins

I am sure many are wondering what "leftover pancake batter" is :) In my house, somehow we always make extra that we simply can't force down. For Father's Day, my mom and I made yummy bacon pancakes... the ones where you cook some bacon then put the delicious pancake batter over them (picture below). We had about 1 cup of batter left over so Stephen had the idea to make some muffins out of them. I had been saying I wanted to have a quick go to bar or something I could have before my 5:15 am workouts because these days I have been STARVING. These little creations were actually incredibly delicious. I stored them in the fridge and just put them in the toaster oven when I wanted to eat them.  Honestly, I didn't really measure the extra stuff I put in them (what I have below are estimates), but I don't think it matters, just do whatever you want and you can be creative with your additions too!

Approx 1 - 1 1/2 cups pancake batter

1 cup coconut flakes

 2 tablespoons flax seed

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 fresh peach, chopped

1 banana, mashed

4 pieces dried peach, chopped

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bacon Pancakes!!

Directions: 

• Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mix. 
• Fill up cupcake liners in a muffin tin (they don't rise a lot so you can fill them pretty full)
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. You want them to be firm and cooked, but not overdone and dry. They don't get very brown on the top. 
• Store in the fridge or the freezer and take them out as you wish!! This recipe made about 20 muffins.  

Bacon Wrapped Avocado Nests

I found this recipe online and quickly discovered that it was WAY harder than it sounded. I cursed the avocados as they let the eggs slide right off them like the little hole the pit once occupied did not even exist. With a few of the avocados I had to create a little bit larger of a well to hold the eggs in them and then had to prop the avocados next to each other so they didn't fall over. Needless to say, this was a messy job. Next time I make them, (there will be a next time because everyone thought the final product was really good), I will think of a little bit different way to do them. I showed a picture I was sure was going to be a "fail" picture below, however when I turned them over, the presentation side actually did look pretty good!

Avocados

Eggs

Bacon

Pepper

This is when I almost started crying - what a mess!

Directions: 

• Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit and peel them. Then make the holes that the pits created a little larger. 
• Break open an egg (the easiest way I found to do this was just to break it open in my hand) and split the egg in half. Putting 1 half in 1 avocado half and the other in the other avocado half. 
• Season with pepper (original recipe called for salt too, but I think the bacon adds plenty of salt)
• Gently pick up the avocado and wrap in bacon. 
• Put in the oven at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. 
• Turn on the broiler and cook about 5 minutes, then flip the nests over and broil another 5 minutes to get the bacon all crispy. 
• Eat!

Whole Wheat & Oat Pancakes

As I have mentioned in my logs, pregnancy has made me exponentially crave sweets and carbs - although not sure what my excuse was before?  Well I wanted pancakes on Sunday morning, so I decided to make some that were a bit healthier. I found this recipe here, and it really is amazingly good! I made a couple minor changes, and I highly recommend them!

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup quick oats

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg

1 cup milk (can also use almond milk)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup greek yogurt (I used vanilla)

1 banana, mashed

Directions: 

• Toss the flour, oats, salt, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl, set aside
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk
• Then add the brown sugar, vanilla and yogurt and whisk until no lumps
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients, stir gently.
• Don't overmix! Add in any mix ins carefully at this time (this is when I added banana, but you could do blue berries, choc chips, etc.)
• Heat a pan and pour about 1/4 cup of batter on the griddle. 
• Cook until edges look dry and bubbles form on center or outside, then flip!
• I served mine up covered in a little peanut butter, real maple syrup and strawberries!

Chicken & Sweet Potato Hash

Had some chicken in the fridge I needed to use and some sweet potatoes that were definitely in need of preparing since they had been sitting on the counter forever. This was a great dish that was super filling and satisfying... not to mention SUPER easy! This is a perfect dish for dinner, but could also be served up for breakfast too. This dish could easily serve 4 people, or 2 with some leftovers.

2 chicken breasts

2 sweet potatoes

1 yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 tablespoon olive oil 

4 eggs (2 eggs per person)

salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry powder

garlic powder

oregano

Isn't the prettiest dish, but sure tastes amazing!

Directions: 

• Dice up the chicken into small cubes. 
• Dice up the sweet potatoes into cubes, about the same size as the chicken (1/2 inch pieces roughly)
• Dice up the onion and garlic. 
• Start by sauteing the onion in oil for about 2-3 minutes. 
• Then add garlic and sweet potatoes and cook about 5-8 minutes. The sweet potatoes will just start to get tender. Season with a little salt and pepper and garlic powder. 
• Season the chicken with some salt and pepper, oregano and garlic powder. Then add to the pans!
• Add the curry powder to the hash and cook until the chicken is browned and cooked all the way through and the sweet potatoes are tender but still have some firmness (you can also substitute whatever you favorite seasonings are here, but the curry surprisingly added something great)
• In a separate pan, fry up an egg (however you like it - I recommend over-easy)
• Place your cooked hash on a plate and serve the egg over the top! 

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

I wanted to bake today and Stephen requested I make something "healthy" (apparently my Snickerdoodle Bread last week wasn't his version of healthy :))  - something we could take easily for breakfasts. So after scouring the internet, I ended up making my own version of an oatmeal breakfast bar. It turned out pretty good. Not super sweet, great texture, and cut easily into perfect breakfast portions. They are also packed with fiber and protein and have NO added sugar. Since there is no sugar, like I mentioned they are not very sweet (which I really like), but you could add some agave to the wet ingredients to add some sweetness. I also think that next time I make these I will add some unsweetened shredded coconut too.  I will definitely be making this again!

3 cups Coaches Oats (can get this at Costco)*

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup chopped apricots

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons flax seeds

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cups pistachios, chopped

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups skim milk (can also use almond, rice, or coconut milk)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix dry ingredients together
• Mix wet ingredients together
• Combine both together and mix well. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper. 
• Bake for 40 minutes. The top will be browned and the bars will be set, yet still have some bounce when you touch them. 
• let them sit at least 15 minutes before cutting (30-45 min is best)
• Cut into bars. 
• I think these would actually do well in the freezer too if you are able to make a bunch in advance!

* note- a quick cook steel cut oats or oatmeal would work too :)

Anytime Sandwich!

I call this sandwich an "anytime sandwich" because it is delicious for any meal. The first time I had this sandwich was at a coffee shop and I had it for breakfast so of course I re-created it for Stephen and I for lunch a couple days later. It is SO simple and just surprisingly delicious!

Cream Cheese

Bagel

tomato

cucumber

sprouts or arugula

avocado

salt and pepper

garlic powder

Directions:

• Slightly toast the bagel of your choice
• Spread with a generous amount of cream cheese and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder
• peel the cucumber and cut into very thin slices
• Then layer the sliced avocado, cucumber, tomatoes and sprouts on the bagel and cut in half
• devour! 

Kale, Swiss Chard & Jalapeno Sausage Frittata

Using up the last of the massive amount of Kale I purchased last week. Kale is SO amazingly good for you, and I would eat it every day if I could, I love it. This frittata was perfect for me... I wanted something quick and packed with protein for dinner. If you don't have kale or Swiss Chard, spinach or arugula can easily be substituted. This is what I came up with :)

1 bunch of kale, chopped

7 Swiss chard leaves, chopped

1 cup cup parmesan cheese

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 pack of Jalapeno sausage links, cut small (Trader Joes)

12-14 eggs

1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

Directions:

• Remove sausage from casing and saute in the pan you will be making frittata in. Drain out excess grease if applicable. 
• Add onion and garlic and saute about 5 minutes. 
• Add the swiss chard and kale, letting it all cook down
• Whip eggs, milk, cheese and seasonings in a separate bowl, then add to the pan
• Stir to evenly distribute, reduce heat to low and let cook until eggs are set up and almost cook through- about 10 minutes
• Add pan to the broiler and let the center set, about 5 minutes.
• Free the egg from the pan and serve up!
• I served ours with a nice arugula side salad :)

Super Filling Breakfast

Fortunately, Steel Cut Oats are allowed on this cleanse. This is another quick and easy meal to take with you to work or eat quickly in the morning on your way out the door. Every Sunday, I make a big batch of steel cut oats - the longer cooking ones. It is 1 cup oats to 4 cups water and it takes about 30 minutes to cook. I do 2 batches and it lasts Stephen and I the whole week. The best thing about this breakfast is that you can add almost anything you want to it. Sticking with our cleanse though, we wanted to add ingredients that helped us get more protein, omega-3's, fiber and antioxidants! Below is what I had for breakfast today!

1/2 cup cooked steel cut oats

1/4 cup blueberries

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1 tablespoon roasted flax seeds

about 10 almonds chopped up

1 tablespoon peanut butter

2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup unsweetened rice milk

Directions:

• Cook your steel cut oats (you can also do the quick cook oats which take about 8 minutes). 
• Mix all ingredients (minus the blueberries and almonds) and heat in the microwave about 2 minutes
• Stir and then add blueberries and almonds
• Enjoy!

Energy Booster Morning Smoothie

After about 12 days eating the same things for breakfast (rice cake scramble and steel cut oats), Stephen and I wanted something fruity for breakfast. Stephen made this smoothie, he is definitely the dedicated smoothie maker in the house! I love smoothies! Whenever we have berries that are on their way out, we always pop them in the freezer to save them for smoothies later, this is a good solution for bananas too!

1 mandarin

1 apple, chopped

1 1/2 cups favorite frozen berries

1/2 cup kale

1 swiss chard leaf, stem removed

1 carrot, chopped

10 almonds

1 cup ice

1/4 cup grape juice (no sugar added)

2 tablespoons almond juice

1 banana

Directions

• Put the ice in the blender and crush the ice
• Add all the other ingredients and whirl it up
• Modify the smoothie to make it the consistency you want- add more juice to make more liquid or more berries to be thicker.

Go-to Breakfast

My favorite breakfast on this cleanse is what I call a rice cake scramble :)  It is packed with great energy boosters. You can easily switch out ingredients too- for example- replace the banana with blackberries! Its all delicious.

Banana, sliced

1-2 brown rice cakes

1 tablespoons of peanut butter with flax seed and no sugar

15-20 raw almonds

1 teaspoon agave nectar

Directions:

• Spread each rice cake with 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter and put in a bowl on top of each other
• Sprinkle with the almonds (can be whole or sliced but need to be raw), banana, and agave nectar
• Using a fork, break up the rice cakes and mix everything up!

Christmas Breakfast

One of my gifts to Stephen was to make a special Christmas breakfast. This year, we drove home late at night from his family Christmas so that we could be home Christmas morning. It was one of the best Christmas' I have had in a long time! I made mini egg cups this year, they were DELICIOUS! I also made toast to go with it- but it wasn't just any bread, it was the Hawaiian loaf bread, yum! The recipe below, surprisingly, made exactly 12 cups (I have no idea how I worked that out).

9 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pound bacon, cut up then cooked until crispy

3 cups chopped spinach

3 garlic cloves

1 cup Mexican cheese blend

1/4 cup chives

Directions:

1. Start frying up bacon, cut it up into small pieces and fry until crispy. Then put on a paper towel to drain. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Chop spinach and garlic and saute until the spinach is just wilted (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Add the eggs, milk, seasonings, 1/4 cup cheese, and chives to a big bowl and mix. Then add the cooked bacon (reserving 1/4 cup) and spinach and stir. 
5. Spoon the egg mix into greased muffin tins and then sprinkle a little more cheese and bacon on the top of each muffin cup.
6. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the cups have puffed up and are starting to brown. The cups will also be pretty firm to the touch. 
7. Remove from the oven and take out of the muffin tins.
8. Garnish with some more cut chives.
9. Devour! 

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

I found this recipe on the Chiquita Banana website and I did some slight little tweaks to the recipe. It was pretty good, definitely a SUPER filling breakfast that was very quick and easy to make.

2 bananas (best if light brown flecks on peel) 

2 cups ice

3/4 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup mixed nuts (It was all I had so there were almonds, pecans, cashews and hazelnuts)

2 tablespoons honey

2 containers of Dannon's Oikos Greek yogurt, vanilla flavored

Directions: 

• Put it all in a blender and mix! Enjoy right away.