Day 13 Whole30

Today is that female time of the month so I didn't feel great. It hasn't been long enough to notice if dropping dairy will affect it, hopefully next month i'll have a better idea. Suffice to say I had some pretty rampant sugar cravings, in particular...you guessed it CHOCOLATE!!! boy I really really wanted to cave today but I didn't.  Dallas and Melissa warn that this part of the program can get really intense, I'm looking forward to day 16 when hopefully the cravings will be gone.

On the bright side I am really loving trying lots of new things because I'm not having any dairy, I really do have to think outside the square! 

My new Well Fed cookbook is just awesome!!! I highly recommend this book, for anyone from beginners to those of us that have been at this a long time, like myself! Great ideas and lots of new flavours, herbs and spices that I wouldn't have thought of.  

The introduction is awesome, a very basic yet well thought out way of explaining Paleo and how to transition to a Paleo diet.  Plenty of advice for meal planning and preparation tips.

It would be a perfect gift for that person in your life that keeps questioning about your "crazy diet" but isn't ready to change their eating habits because they don't understand how to do it. I would say if you read this book and didn't like the recipes and suggestions then there is no saving you ;)

Hubby was blown away by tonights  meal and kept raving about the chicken and sunshine sauce.  You must try this!!!!(links below)

8 hours sleep

8am: 2 egg omelet filled with leftovers from yesterday's lunch (pizza inspired mince & veggies)

2pm: Almond and smoked lemon coated chicken fried in coconut oil, on top of asparagus "noodles", drizzled with lemon olive oil. Blueberries with cinnamon toasted almonds and coconut

8pm: The Best Chicken You Will Ever Eat. Ever. with Sunshine Sauce and chopped up carrots, cucumber and yellow peppers with coriander and Buttercrunch lettuce (this meal was AMAZING!!!!!) 

Day 12 Whole30

Today I was craving chocolate hard!!! That time of the month is due so I'm not surprised, I just really really really wanted chocolate arghhhh! I didn't cave, stayed strong but I probably ate a bit much fruit.

7 hours sleep

7am: 3 small soft boiled eggs.  Blueberries, banana with cinnamon toasted coconut and almonds

1pm: Grassfed Beef mince and pure lamb sausages with Italian seasoning, red peppers, mushrooms & kalamata olives with butter crunch lettuce

7pm: Mushroom soup made with homemade chicken broth and coconut cream, apple slices with almond butter, macadamias and coconut manna

Day 10 Whole30

Yep today proved to be the hardest! Not physically but emotionally, talk about cravings argghh! I didn't cave thankfully but I found myself hungry this afternoon so I ate a snack which I don't normally do.  It was super yummy, tasted like muesli but better.  I'm being careful with fruit because I don't want to lean on sweet fruits in place of the chocolate, blueberries don't really taste all that sweet to me.

I do feel like I'm breaking my chocolate addiction so that feels good, I do miss my morning coffee, I think mostly because of the ritual of hubby and I having our Nespressos and the cup warming my hands.  The short black or lungo just doesn't satisfy the same without cream :/  I tried with coconut cream and thought it was gonna be good until I drank it. Yuck!!! I hate it, not gonna happen!

I dreamt last night I ate a kinder surprise, so weird as they aren't something I eat, they are nice but it was strange.  I woke up remembering it really vividly and I felt guilty for a minute until I woke up properly and realised it was a dream!

I was on a bit of a go slow this morning, I think I overslept as I woke feeling quite groggy, I seem to feel best on 7-8 hours sleep.  Not much else to report, everything seems to be going fairly smoothly :)

9 hours sleep

7am: 2 organic free range eggs, pure lamb free range sausage, fried mushrooms in coconut oil, tomato and avocado

12pm: Tuna ceviche with mesclun, tomatoes and homemade mayo

2pm: Blueberries with toasted Cinnamon coconut & almonds

7pm: Chinese Five Spice Stirfry

Almond & Coconut Chicken!!! "Extra Crispy Chicken"

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (boneless & skinless)
• 3/4 cup ground almonds
• 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 eggs beaten

Directions

Slice your chicken breasts in half so you have two flat 1 inch thick pieces out of 1 chicken breast. (4 all up if cooking 2 chicken breasts)

Combine almonds and seasoning in a bowl. Whizz up your coconut to make it fine or leave chunky - the choice is yours!

You'll need 1 bowl for the eggs and 2 large places: one for the almond mixture and 1 for the coconut.

Dip all the chicken  in the eggs and coat thoroughly, then coat with the almond mixture, then coat again in the eggs, final step is to coat with the  coconut, the two coatings make for some 'fried chicken' tasting chicken and extra tender!

Line a baking dish with baking paper and place your chicken.

Bake at 180 Celsius for 30 minutes, flip chicken halfway through. 

Serve hot!

This salad goes awesome with this chicken:  

Julienne about 1/2 a cucumber, slice your green onions (spring onions), chop fresh basil and coriander (cilantro), toss them all with mesclun or spinach greens or both! Add the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper!

Almond Crackers

1 ¾ cups blanched ground almonds

1-2 tablespoons Masterfoods Italian or Tuscan Seasoning

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 egg 

In a large bowl, combine ground almonds, salt and seasoning

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg 

Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined 

Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness 

Remove top piece of parchment paper 

Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet 

Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter 

Bake at 170C for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden 

Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve 

Yields 24 crackers 

Original recipe here:

http://www.elanaspantry.com/rosemary-crackers/

Toasted coconut & almond chocolate

Ingredients:

200gms 85% Lindt

100gms 70% Old Gold

(you can use any brand, I just try and keep the percentages high so that it's richer and I eat less ;))

150gms Butter or Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

100gms Sliced Almonds

100gms Coconut chips

Prep work: Preheat your oven to grill 200C, Line a dish with parchment paper.

Directions: 

Melt your butter or coconut oil, once melted then take off the heat and add in the chocolate, this will ensure you don't cook the chocolate and then you will have a melt in your mouth consistency. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Put your almonds onto a baking sheet and place under the grill to toast, watch it very carefully as they will burn, check constantly and turn to ensure most of the almonds get toasted.  Do not burn or it will ruin the chocolate.  Next do the coconut, you need to watch the coconut even more or you will burn it, coconut has a very high fat content and will toast much faster than the almonds.  This will get your house smelling amazing too I might add! This can also be done in a non stick frying pan but I find it is easier to mess it up plus you don't always get an even toasting.

Add your toasted almond & coconut to the chocolate mixture and then pour into your lined dish, pop in the fridge for several hours and then cut when it's nearly set, place back in the fridge and then break it up and put into a container and store in the fridge. 

Cashew & Almond Butter Dark Chocolate

Cashew & Almond Butter Dark Chocolate

• 150gms Butter
• 200gms 70% Cadbury Old Gold
• 100gms 85% Green & Blacks
• 2-3 Tbsps Almond Butter
• 200gms Salted Cashews - chopped up
• (optional: coconut, dried apricots or other dried fruit)

Melt butter, add the broken up chocolate so it melts but no need to boil, you just want to melt the chocolate.  Add the almond butter so thoroughly combined, put in the cashews and pour into a lined dish, pop in the fridge and it should be ready in roughly 3-4 hours.

ENJOY!!

Primal Power Bars

As requested by Jaxz the recipe for Primal Power Bars.....

These are awesome! I found the recipe on the new MDA Forum http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-power-bars and they really are great. The recipe originated at Elana’s Pantry http://www.elanaspantry.com/power-bars/. Here’s my little adjustment of course :)

Gluten and Dairy Free Power Bars

1 cup almond flour/ground almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts - fresh

½ cup flax meal

½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

½ cup salted roasted almond butter

½ cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon dark cane sugar or Raw honey (depending on taste)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Combine almond flour, flax meal, coconut, sugar.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat,
3. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir in almond butter and vanilla
4. Add coconut oil mixture to dry ingredients which will form a coarse paste
5. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish
6. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens

Topping: Dark Chocolate Ganache

113 Dark Chocolate (I used 85%)

90mls Coconut Cream

1-2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

1. In a small saucepan, heat coconut cream and coconut oil, take off heat and add chocolate stiring continuously until smooth.
2. Spread melted chocolate gnache over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate firms. It won’t harden completely but it’s very yummy. You can just use melted down chocolate for topping.
3. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve