Chocolate Pecan Pie

Every year for Thanksgiving, I make some version of an apple pie for dessert (caramel apple pie, apple crunch pie, apple crisp, etc.).  This year, we made apple cinnamon coffee cake for breakfast and tried a new pie, grain-free pecan pie!  Yum!  And it was simple to make!

Pie Crust:
2 cups almond meal/flour (I used Trader Joe's brand but I am sure others would work too)
2 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
1 organic egg
sprinkle sea salt

*My food processor broke so this was the fun part, where my daughter and I squished the dough and mixed into a ball.  Then, press the dough into a 9 inch pie dish (do not go up to high on the sides).

Filling:
3 organic eggs
1 cup coconut sugar (I used a bit less actually)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 cup chocolate chunks (I used Enjoy Life brand)
2 cups whole, raw pecans

*Using a hand mixer, combine the eggs, coconut sugar, and coconut oil until well blended. 
*Stir in the chocolate chunks and pecans using a spatula.
*Pour filling into unbaked crust and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 min. (mine was 45 minutes exactly).
*Allow to cool before devouring (and try not to sneak any of the sweet pecans off the top)!

This was so simple to make, using healthier ingredients and so tasty!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

This recipe is similar to a taco soup, regular chili, or my crock pot chicken black bean salsa soup but a bit different and I liked the differences!  Great flavors and so simple!  Plus, you could alter and add more/less veggies, more/no beans, and any toppings you like.

1 can Organic kidney beans, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups favorite Organic Salsa (I am currently enjoying Publix Greenwise Organic Salsa-medium)
2-4 carrots, peeled and diced (the original recipe called for corn but I enjoyed the carrots)
1 can diced organic tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own, I used Simply Organic brand)
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
3 frozen chicken breasts (you could do more or less and use fresh if you wanted)

Toppings ideas:  Shredded raw organic cheese, cilantro, diced avocado, tortilla chips, onions, etc.

Add all ingredients except chicken to crock pot and stir until well combined.  Place the chicken breast on top and cook on high for 6 hrs, or cook on low for 10 hrs.  About 30 minutes  before serving, remove chicken breast and shred, then place back in crock pot and stir well and let sit on warm until ready to serve.  This is perfect for football nights or just cook Fall/Winter evening meals and is great left over as well!  

Slow Cooker Applesauce

I have never tried making my own applesauce, so decided to give it a try!

8 medium apples (I used a mixture of granny smith and pink lady)
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp raw honey

Slow cook on high for 4 hours, them mash or blend.  Refrigerate leftovers!

Cilantro Lime Dressing

I love salads but tend to fall into ruts and just use the same old dressing every time (Bragg's vinaigrette is a current fave).  So, this is a simple dressing that is full of healthy fats and you can make a mexi-salad!

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T lime juice
Fresh cilantro, diced
Sprinkle of cuming
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Sprinkle of sea salt

Blend together and add more/less olive oil depending on desired thickness.  I tossed this on a salad with romaine, shredded carrots, cucumbers, pea pods, and a few tortilla chips for crunch!

Taco Cabbage Casserole

I have not given up the blog, just took a break while we packed and moved across the country!  Now, we are in FL again and loving the warmth!  This taco cabbage is just a variation on tacos, which I love!

1 lb ground beef
2 carrots, shredded
1 package organic, msg-free taco seasoning (or make your own)
salsa, preferably organic but your choice of type
1 head cabbage, diced
*serve in ezekial or brown rice tortillas or just plain in a bowl topped with organic, raw cheese!

Brown the beef, add carrots towards the end.  Add a few spoonfuls of salsa and your taco seasoning with water.  Let simmer to a boil, then add the cabbage for the last few minutes while moving temp. down to med-low.  (basically just adding cabbage and carrots adds some nutrition and a fun crunch)

Cilantro Lime Chicken

This is not much of a recipe but it is yummy!  I grilled this chicken and served it on Udi's gluten-free buns (my daughters wanted it by itself) and then had fresh veggies and hummus on the side!

Juice of 2 limes
1-2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. honey
Handful fresh cilantro, diced
3 chicken breasts

Place all the marinate ingredients in a large ziploc bag and add chicken and toss!  Allow to marinade for 10-15 minutes then grill until done!  This is light and refreshing!

Zucchini Bread

So, many of you saw that was doing Whole 30, well, I had to give it up for a few reasons but I have still been doing mostly paleo when I can so grain-free and refined sugar-free.  This Zucchini bread was moist and tasty!

1.5 cups almond flour/meal (I get mine for only $3.99/bag at trader joes)
1.5 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup grated zucchini
3 eggs
1/3 cup unsweet applesauce (the original recipe called for one mashed, ripe banana but I was out so I tried this and it was great)
3-4 Tbsp. raw honey
1 Tbsp.melted coconut oil (I am sure olive oil or butter would work as well)

1.  Mix together all wet ingredients using a hand mixer until frothy and well mixed.
2.  Add in dry ingredients and blend until well combined (my batter was fairly thin).
3.  Pour into loaf pan (I did 3 mini-loaves this this and added good life chocolate chips to one loaf for a treat).
4.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Enjoy!

Turkey Stuffed Squash and Peppers

I am not a big squash fan or a pepper fan but I do love to try new things and eating grain-free is always a healthy option so here's a new one.  My daughters and I liked it a lot, but my husband LOVED it and said I can make it every week!  I actually think next time I might try peppers for hubby and buy some giant mushrooms to stuff for me!

Acorn Squash-halved and seeded
2 peppers (hubby said yellow was awesome)
1 lb ground turkey
3 large carrots, shredded in the food processor
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 apple, cored and diced in tiny pieces
1 egg
"breadcrumbs"
-1/2 cup almond meal
-1/4 cup golden flaxseed meal
-1 tsp. garlic (either fresh diced, powder, or I used dried)
-1/2 tsp. onion powder
-1/2 tsp. Thyme
-1/2 tsp. Oregano
-1 tsp. sea salt
-1/2 tsp. ground pepper
-1/2 tsp. ground sage
(all approximate)
optional: Parmesan (I did not use)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the cut, seeded squash face down in 1/4 inch water in large baking dish.  Bake for about 40 minutes or until slightly soft.
2.  While the squash is baking, brown ground turkey, mushrooms, and shredded carrots in a large saucepan until browned and veggies are well cooked.  You can season this if you like, but the breadcrumb mixture adds lots of flavors.
3.  When the meat/veggies are almost done, add the diced apples for the last 3-5 minutes.  When done, remove from heat.  Cut open the tops of 2 peppers during this time as well (they do not need to precook.
4.  Add the "breadcrumbs" mixture into the pan as well as 1 egg and mix thoroughly.
5.  Once the squash are done, flip right side up and dump water our of pan.  Fill center of each squash with meat/breadcrumbs mixture, then using leftover...
6.  Fill the two peppers with the mixture as well.  Place all face up in a baking dish and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until brown and slightly crispy on top.
Enjoy!

Another way to make this, same inside, stuffing portabella mushrooms and green peppers!

Coconut Almond Pancakes

I am on day 4 and needing a "treat" so I made these pancakes and topped them with blended berries that I warmed up!  They were tasty, and my family had them with chocolate chips and loved them!

2 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp coconut water
1/8 cup coconut flour
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/8 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
coconut oil (for frying)

1.  Whip eggs with an electric mixer until frothy, add the rest of wet ingredients and combine well with hand mixer.
2.  Combine all dry ingredients and add to the wet, using the electric mixer until thoroughly mixed (batter is thin)
3.  Using a cast iron pan, make small pancakes-I used a 1/8 cup scoop and made several smallish pancakes.
4.  For the berries, I simply blended a berry blend then simmered over med-low heat until warmed!

Avacado Herb Dressing

I am in the early phases of the Whole 30, which is 30 days of no grains, no dairy, no legumes, and no sugar (not sweetener whatsoever) so salads are a popular dish.  Here is a "creamy" dressing for you!

1 ripe avacado
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh basil
4 Tbsp. olive oil (or more/less depending on thickness you like)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. mustard, dijon would be good
Sea Salt
Pepper
(any other herbs you like)

Blend in a food processor until creamy, if you added less olive oil it could be more of a veggie dip and more makes it a salad dressing!  Enjoy

Chicken veggie(no) Pasta

(on the left is with spaghetti squash and the one on the right is with brown rice pasta)


I was craving a pasta dish, so decided to make a simple sauce of butter, garlic, sea salt and organic Parmesan then realized I had some yummy spaghetti squash so I changed my mind...I did use brown rice pasta for my husband and daughter who do not enjoy the spaghetti squash as I do!  Obviously, this recipe does contain dairy and in some cases, grains if you use pasta but still a healthier version of a "comfort" food that was super yummy!  This also made enough for leftovers.  You could add or omit any vegetables, next time I might try to add diced tomatoes!

1 medium spaghetti squash
2-3 chicken breasts, diced in bite-sized pieces
4 Tablespoons organic butter
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 cup whole spinach leaves
4-6 garlic cloves
Sea Salt
Pepper
(any other seasonings you like)
1/2 cup organic Parmesan cheese

1.  Prep spaghetti squash-cut in half the long way and remove seeds.  Place face down in a glass baking dish filled with a bit of water (I only baked half and saved the rest for another meal of spaghetti squash with tomato meat sauce).  Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes (or until the outer side slightly pushes in when touched or when you flip you can fork the "spaghetti" out easily).

While that is baking...

2.  Place the butter in a large saucepan and melt, then add garlic and begin sauteeing.

3.  Add diced chicken and mushrooms, as well as Sea Salt, Pepper, and any other seasonings you enjoy and cook until chicken is cooked all the way through.

4.  Add Spinach and saute flavors together for about 5 more minutes before adding the Parmesan and mixing together well.

5.  Add the stringy "spaghetti" squash (or pasta if you must) to the mixture and mix together well, then serve!

I know this isn't super creative, but it was tasty and satisfied the craving!  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Bars (Reese's Bars you could say)

These are delicious!!!!!

Crust:
1/4 cup melted organic butter
2 cups almond flour/meal
2 T raw honey

*Melt butter and mix other ingredients in.  Spread in a 8 x 8 glass pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

*While the crust is baking, prepare top layer, below

Middle Layer:
Melted Good Life Chocolate Chips/or 70% darker chips

Top Layer:
1 T organic butter, melted
2-4 T raw honey
1/2 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)
sprinkle sea salt

*Remove crust from oven and spread chocolate chips.  Bake again for 2-3 minutes, then remove and spread on the crust!

*place all top layer ingredients over low heat and melt together.  Spoon on top of the melted chocolate layer, then run a knife through in any design you like.

*Chill before serving!  Enjoy-they will not last long!

Nut Butter Blondies

I have found a few recipes for these and tried them but this was the best creation ever!  They were super gooey, so if you like things more cakey then add 1 egg (or maybe even just one egg white) but I like them gooey!

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup raw maple syrup
1/4 cup almond or peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp. ground MILA chia
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used good life vegan, organic chocolate chips)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8 pan.
2.  Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer.
3.  Add in dry ingredients and mix well until smooth.
4.  Stir in chocolate chips with a spatula (or nuts if you prefer)
5.  Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Allow them to set up a bit, but they will stay gooey!  Enjoy!

No Bake Cookies

I found a new site with some awesome recipes call the unrefinedkitchen.com and found these on there but modified them a bit.  So tasty and no bake!

1/3 cup raw honey
2 Tbsp raw cocoa
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup (or more) peanut or almond butter
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
3.5 Tbsp. hemp seed
3 Tbsp. MILA chia seeds

1.  Place honey, cocoa, and coconut oil in a saucepan over medium to high heat.
2.  Bring to a boil for about 30 seconds and remove from heat.
3.  Immediately add the nut butter and stir in (we buy fresh ground nut butters so the heat helps them blend).
4.  Pour into a larger bowl and add vanilla, coconut flakes, hemp, and chia and stir until completely combined.
5.  Roll into cookie sized balls-we scooped a small amount into muffin liners to make them portable.  Place in refrigerator or freezer until it's time to eat.  We like ours frozen or at least cool but you could eat them at room temperature also!

I just hope they last a few days!  Yum!

Zucchini Boat Enchiladas

(here they are prior to baking, missed a pic after because we gobbled them up!)


I have been on the hunt for some new main dish entrees that are grain-free and here's a great, simple one!  I did use packets for seasoning but used "Simply Organic" brand and organic tomato sauce to mix the enchilada sauce, you could make your own!

*1 lb ground beef (or turkey or shredded chicken)
*2-3 zucchini
*shredded carrots (optional)
*1 packet taco seasoning (or make your own)
*1 packet enchilada seasoning with also calls for 1 small can tomato sauce (or any enchilada sauce you like with sugars or starches added)
*1 can chili beans (or no beans if you are bean-free)
*1/2 cup shredded raw, organic cheddar

1.  Start browning the beef and meanwhile...cut zucchini in half and scoop out most of the seeds until they are hollow (aka: boats).  I threw the seeds into the meat and no one even noticed the extra veggies!
2.  Add shredded carrots (for more veggies if you want) and finish browning beef and vegetables.  Add taco seasoning packet, water, and can of beans, drained and rinsed.  Simmer until flavor is combined.
3.  While this is cooking, prepare the enchilada sauce according to directions (or make your own-I have even just done a jar of organic salsa for this)
4.  Lay Zucchini in 8 x 11 glass pan and fill each "boat" with taco mixture. 
5.  Top with enchilada sauce and sprinkle cheese on top.
6.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and zucchini has softened.

I served mine with homemade guacamole and diced tomatoes on top! Enjoy!