As the Seasons Change...

As the seasons change, so do my taste buds. My newest addition to my Almond House menu is a Blueberry Almond Cake. This was inspired by a good friend Angi Finnegan who makes absolutely delicious baked goods in Toccoa, GA at Finnegan's. If you aren't completely gluten intolerant, her baked goods contain fresh ground wheat in all of her baked goods - bread, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, & PIZZA. :) BUT since I can't handle the fresh ground wheat, I had to develop some sort of blueberry almond cake for myself and since it was so deliciously, good I must share it with you! On top of the cake, I drizzle my own coconut milk & lemon glaze that, still, contains NO refined sugar! 

Blueberry Almond Cake with Lemon Coconut Milk Drizzle

In addition to the Blueberry Almond Cake, I have a new Cinnamon Coffee Cake with a coconut milk and butter glaze. For the holidays, I believe this will be my first choice as it it takes me back to my childhood & I kind of feel as if I am eating a yummy cinnamon roll... well, almost! Although, I actually enjoy this one better because I still feel wonderful after I eat it - rather than bloated, tired, and foggy-brained!

For all of you gearing up for the holidays these are a great treat that EVERYONE will enjoy - not just gluten free'ers. I polled my church group (20 people) including people who love sugar, eat gluten, and are under the age of 13 and they have been asking me for more! Shhh... don't tell them there is no sugar & no gluten! :)

Guacamole Slaw

As you might notice, I'm a big fan of avocado. Avocado is a great source of healthy fat & it's great for fertility. I made a slaw to go with my Pulled Pork recipe (previous entry) and we really enjoyed it.

1/2 head of cabbage, sliced thin
3 slices of red pepper, sliced thin

Dressing:
1/3 cup of guacamole
1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. pepper
a pinch of sugar

Slice the cabbage & red pepper. Pour the dressing over the top & stir! Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Let me know what you think! Tomato would also be a good addition to the slaw!

Honey & Basil Pulled Pork

Some days I need something a little on the sweet side - How about combining Honey, Basil, & Soy Sauce to create a marinade that will satisfy any sweet tooth? YES! I believe it will be delicious AND super easy! I was going to take a picture, BUT it was so good it was devoured before I could get one!

Sauce & Marinade:
1/2 Cup Honey
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. Basil, fresh or dried
1 Tbsp. Crushed red pepper (optional)

Place the Boneless Pork Tenderloin in a crock pot on LOW. Pour the Marinade mixture over the top. TIP: spray the sides of your crock pot with cooking spray so that it is easier to clean later. Cook until it reaches 160 or 170 degrees.

Pull the pork apart & pour the sauce over the top!

You'll love it. It's extremely delicious.

Body Scrub

I enjoyed a personal, relaxing "spa" day at my house this morning. Reducing stress & relaxing is JUST as important as a healthy diet! This is a body scrub you can do with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Use a coffee grinder or a high-powered blender to grind up the ingredients listed below.



1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup sunflower meal
1/4 cup almond meal
1 tsp. dried peppermint or 1/4 tsp. peppermint oil
1/4 tsp. rosemary essential oil
Coconut milk or herbal tea - just enough to make a paste

Mix all the ingredients together & add the coconut milk until a paste forms. Let sit for 1 minute to thicken. Rub the mixture on your face or over your entire body - this is great for all skin types - except extremely dry. Let stay on skin until the scrub dries then shower the scrub off. Moisturize afterwards with your favorite all-natural lotion. I hope you enjoy.

Chicken & Kale Stoup

On a cold, rainy day in January I couldn't think of a better way to end our day. For women eating dark, leafy greens are essential. I started educating myself a little on the benefits of kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, etc. and found some interesting facts from The Weston Price Foundation.

Weston Price states that poor nutrition is often the cause of PMS and irregular cycles. Leafy green veggies provide Vitamin A. In 1 cup of Kale, 10,000 IU can be given to your body! To aid in PMS relief, it's important to have around 50,000 IU per day so that is a great amount! These healthy greens also provide magnesium which is a necessary mineral to help regulate hormones.

We, as Americans, simply do not eat enough nutritious foods. Most of my life I have eaten for taste rather than nutrition. Learning about the types of foods that help, rather than hurt my body, assists me to truly understand the importance of eating foods that nutritionally support my body.

So, this healthy soup has some great fat content and some great PMS reducing qualities. :) As I was telling Sam about my new discoveries, he suggested nicely that I should cook these things MUCH MORE OFTEN! :)

3-4 Bone In Chicken Breast
2 Sausage Links (Any Kind - Kielbasa, Italian or Cajun)
1 Bunch of Kale, organic
1 Frozen Bag of Spinach, organic
1 Can Artichoke Hearts, organic
1 Onion
4 Garlic Cloves, whole
1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, organic
1 tablespoon Basil
1 tablespoon thyme or oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 celery stalk & leaves
opt: Parmesan to top

Place the frozen chicken in the crock pot. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil, thyme, garlic, celery, sausage links, salt and pepper. Add water to cover. Later in the day, if you can wait, add the rest of the veggies. If you must do it in the morning that is fine.

Let this cook all day and then serve with my cauliflower "rice" or brown rice. Or just by itself.

The leftovers are EVEN BETTER!!!! :)

Cauliflower "Rice"

I LOVE... I mean LOVE rice. I made a wonderful discovery today. Cauliflower can be shredded to look & feel like rice. I made some wonderful Tacos & instead of just eating the taco meat as usual, I piled my plate with my wonderful cauliflower "rice" and enjoyed every low carb and paleo-friendly bite.

I don't have a picture, but there is a great blog that you can go to, to see where I got my idea from - www.elanaspantry.com.

1/4 head of cauliflower, shredded in the food processor until the size of rice
salt/pepper
butter or coconut oil to saute
1 garlic clove (opt)

Basically, shred the cauliflower in a food processor. Melt the butter or coconut oil in a frying pan. Add salt & pepper as you prefer. Saute the "rice" until soft.

You can add ANY seasoning you would like - for example I shredded 1/4 cup of green bell pepper & onion with the cauliflower. This went nicely with the taco meat. If you were having an Asian type meal, add some ginger.

Rainy Day Pizza

Okay! Before you decide if this is good or not PLEASE try it. I admit I was skeptical too, but once I tried it tonight - I'm sold. Pizza is one of my favorite foods & I need to stay away even from an almond meal pizza crust if I want to loose weight so I decided to see if I could make an egg "crust". I referred to my "Everyday Paleo" book for some tips, but then I made it my own.

5 eggs
No sugar added & GF Pizza Sauce - Classico (or make your own)
Any toppings & cheese that you prefer to add
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt/pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove

Heat oven proof skillet (I use a pyrex dish, I don't know if this is okay, but I did it.) with coconut oil. Whisk the eggs until well blended. Add all the seasonings to the egg mixture. When the skillet is warm, pour the eggs into the skillet and cover. When the eggs are firm half way through, transfer the eggs to a preheated 400 degree oven. DO NOT TOUCH THE EGGS IN THE SKILLET! Then, allow to cook until firm in the oven. When firm put the sauce, toppings, and cheese as preferred. Put back into the oven until cheese is melted and the "crust" is slightly browned on the outside.

That's it. :) I believe you will enjoy it as much as I did.