The One with the Paleo Cookies

I recently promised to post my favorite recipe for grain free pumpkin muffins. As I glanced through my Picassa photo album, I realized that I have NO photos of pumpkin muffins at all...even though I've made them several times and normally take photos of EVERYTHING.

So this reminded me that I should at least share my chocolate chip cookie recipe with everyone. I made these A LOT and I get asked for the recipe all the time! In full disclosure, I got this recipe from an awesome cookbook that I love...The Food Lover's Primal Palate. The website and cookie recipe is here.

You can follow the link, but I will also list the recipe here, with some minor tweaks.

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups blanched almond flour (I use TJ's almond meal)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I use Bourbon vanilla from TJ's)
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut oil (I use TJ's unrefined...has a coconut-y taste but YUM!)
1/2 cup maple syrup (I use a little less than a 1/2 cup of honey instead. Its cheaper!)
2 whole eggs
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave for 30-45 seconds and turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl beat the eggs, vanilla and honey.
4. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat well.
5. Add the coconut oil.
6. Mix with chocolate chips
7. Bake cookies for 15 minutes on parchment lined sheets. Watch the time!! They burn pretty easily and I have taken them out at 13-14 minutes before.

Enjoy!! I am hungry now from writing this and want to make some cookies!

In other news, I will have to make some pumpkin muffins soon so I can photograph them and share the recipe!

The one with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts

I found a great deal on Brussels Sprouts at TJs! Actually it was Matt that placed this large branch into our cart. Its huge!! We will get two meals out of this one stalk, and it was only 2.99.

It was quite the feat to cut all those little sprouts off the big trunk!

This is what I did next: 
Cut the sprouts in half and add to a pan that's lined with foil.
Sprinkle generously (or not) with olive oil.
Add salt and pepper
Add cut up bacon. I used Trader Joe's ends & pieces bacon.
Cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Its amazing, I promise!!

Here is what it looks like all finished: (Photo is from 2011, but same recipe)

At the same time Matt was making some delicious Paleo peach cobbler. I'm not sure what the recipe is, but he said all he did was Google "Paleo Peach Cobbler" and used the first one on the list. That is how we cook at our house! :)

Happy Paleo Eating!!

The one with the Salmon Patties

Wow!! I can't believe I am sharing my second "recipe" in such a short time. I guess I have been extra domestic this week!

As I may have mentioned earlier, I made some salmon patties to go with that pesto that I made the other day.

I followed a recipe here but I altered a few things based on what I had available. For instance I used lime juice instead of lemon. I also didn't use a food processor (I don't have one) and the magic bullet was still tired out from the pesto from yesterday. Instead, I just mashed with a fork and everything turned out fine.

 I have never made these before, and actually never eating salmon patties before, but they were delicious! I topped them, of course, with some delicious home made pesto and they made me super full all night long. (Even got me through a successful swimming lesson and I didn't need to eat afterward. I've got to interject swimming stuff here and there since it has become my whole life lately.)

I will be making them again.

The one where Jenn makes Pesto

Woo hoo! I did something domestic.

Not only did I make Pesto from scratch, but I made it from my very own basil plant! (I have one tiny secret though...I had to supplement with Trader Joe's basil since I didn't have enough)

I used my handy dandy Magic Bullet.

I started with just a few leaves, a dash of olive oil and some pine nuts. Little by little I mixed and added more stuff.

I used:  About three cups of basil leaves, (see bowl above) 1/2 cup of olive oil, a little more than 1/4 cup of pine nuts. 

It took awhile to grind up all those leaves, but eventually it worked! I kept adding a little more olive oil each time. It was super quick and easy, besides the part where Matt's eardrums hurt from the Magic Bullet whirring.

Tomorrow night we are going to eat Pesto on top of our Salmon Patties. Can't wait! (I will be eating dinner tomorrow after my very first swimming lesson at Green lake, will keep you updated on that!)