Sunday Reflection - More Clean, Low-Carb, Grain-free Meal Ideas to keep you going for next week!

Mind, Body, Spirit! I've invested a lot of time and energy cleaning up my mind and body over the past six months and have seen awesome results. I've also been working on the spirit part by looking for a church for our family to call home. We found one we are really enjoying and the message today really spoke to me. So this week I'm going to work on "cleaning up" my thoughts and trying to exude positive energy to those around me. If I can give up milk chocolate I think I can give up being critical of others........and not just on Sundays but all week. But just like eating it is something I will have to keep working at.

And here are some of the clean meals I worked at and enjoyed but didn't post the recipes for this week. Just to give you some ideas as you start your week and to show you once again how delicious clean eating can be.

Okay - other than the yummy Banana Chia Almond Pancakes I posted yesterday  here are some delicious breakfasts I enjoyed...................notice a theme!

Frozen Mango Smoothie made with organic mango chunks, ice, milk and Vanilla Whey Isolate Protein Powder. This is actually my favorite smoothie. If anyone has trouble with the taste of protein powder this masks it pretty good!

Yep - that would be Hot Chia Seed Protein Porridge! Can you say chilicious! Topped with Banana, Strawberry and Cacao Nibs!

More Hot Chia Seed Protein Porridge - with coconut, raisins and cacao!

This was actually an afternoon snack - Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding with whipped coconut cream, Goji berries, Cacao nibs and coconut! OMG - good.

A new Chia Seed combination I'm working on - hopefully you will get a recipe this week for Hot Chia Hemp Seed Porridge. Yay for all the protein in hemp. This batch was topped with fresh peaches and a lone raspberry! 

Okay - lunches are usually leftovers, a salad or a salad topped with leftovers. Awesome way to get some leafy greens...............

Spring mix and spinach leaves topped with slivered almonds, red onion, strawberry and goat cheese! And Kraft poppy-seed dressing (still haven't kicked that habit).

Spring mix and spinach leaves topped with leftover grilled chicken. I made a salad dressing out of high protein Greek yogurt, milk and leftover Ginger, Pear, Apricot Chutney. Yum. 

Kale Super Food Salad from Costco with leftover Turkey Apple Curry Meatballs and Cottage Cheese!

Spring mix, shredded cheese, tomato, red pepper and leftover Rotisserie Chicken!

And for dinner.........

Turkey, Apple Curry Meatballs with coconut milk and curry glaze!

Mama's famous ribs served with Kale salad and leftover Kaboche squash!

Greek Salad, Rotisserie Chicken and Carrots!

Balsamic marinated Salmon with a Grilled Peach, tomato & Cilantro Salsa. This is the first time in my life I ate a piece of salmon and didn't hate it - yay - progress. Its on my lists of things I want to like but don't. 

Hope you have a great week! Eat clean, think clean - be happy! And to one of my good friends going through a tough week - you are in my prayers!

Wheat Free Banana Chia Almond Pancakes - Paleo Friendly

My Chia seed addiction is not getting any better. Since I feel great I guess that's not a bad thing except that you might be getting a lot of Chia recipe's until I move on to the next thing. I'm also struggling a bit with my sugar addiction...........so of course I am craving pancakes for breakfast. Any excuse to pull out the pure maple syrup.

Banana Chia Seed Almond Pancakes topped with some fresh butter and pure maple syrup. These were so good!

But these pancakes were so naturally sweet they didn't need much help from maple syrup. I have tried a few pancake recipes since going clean and grain-free and haven't been too excited about them (except the lemon poppyseed ones from the Wheat Belly Cookbook). So this morning I decided to just mess around with some ingredients and I'm pretty pumped about how these turned out. Even hubby liked them and he's not really too excited about pancakes or Chia seeds.

Just keep in mind that grain-free pancakes don't cook the same as wheat pancakes so you have to cook them at a lower temperature or they will burn before they cook through enough to be flipped. Be patient and don't flip them until they are well cooked on one side. They are worth the extra effort as you get a delicious nutrient dense breakfast packed with fiber and protein. These kept me full till lunch and my blood sugar was fine all morning even after a good work-out!

I made that........you could too!

Wheat-free Banana Chia Seed Almond Pancakes (makes 6-8 pancakes)

Organic Coconut Oil - for cooking pancakes
1/2 cup blanched almond flour (almond meal would work as well)
2 tbsp Chia Seeds
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of fine sea salt

1 egg, well beaten
1 large ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup milk (soy, almond or coconut in a carton) plus 1 extra tbsp milk
3 drops liquid Stevia (optional - probably not needed)
1 tbsp Almond Butter

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well except the extra 1 tbsp of milk. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to let the Chia seeds "gel". My batter was super thick afterwards so I added the extra 1 tbsp of milk and mixed well (adjust for desired thickness). Fry pancakes (don't make them too big) in coconut oil over low/medium heat. Serve with butter and a little bit of pure maple syrup or top with a nut butter, coconut and fresh fruit. Enjoy!

Creamy Sweet Potato Coconut Milk Soup with Garlic Cilantro topping and a little Bite

I was feeling low earlier in the week - after burning out my adrenal gland from years of abuse I now have a really low tolerance for any kind of stress. I used to be the girl you want on your team in a crisis - I thrived on stress! Now I thrive for a very short time and then I feel like crap for days. So a minor stressful event was enough to throw me into the cortisol roller-coaster which always ends up in hunger, irritability and low-energy. I used to keep the roller-coaster going by fueling it with caffeine, Chinese food and chocolate. But luckily, after 36 years, I have finally learned to pay attention to my body. So I fed my hunger with clean foods (I still overate but at least not on junk), forced myself to exercise when I just wanted to lay down and headed to my Naturopath's office for a shot of B12 and some adrenal support pills. By the next day I felt better and my energy was back. I can't always control stress but I can fight back - so take that cortisol!

Seriously good sweet potato soup with coconut milk and some heat. Topped with a dollop of garlic and cilantro high protein Greek yogurt!

And with my energy back on track I created a really awesome new clean, wheat-free soup recipe for my lunch date with my very sophisticated world travelling friend. It was awesome (the soup and the lunch date) - definitely a new favorite of mine. I added the topper to give it a little protein boost and make it more of a meal.  Try this recipe - you won't be disappointed! Next time I will be making a double batch because I could have eaten this for a couple of meals.

Roasted Sweet Potato's - can be eaten as is or used in soup
2 large sweet potato/yams, peeled and cubed (I used organic - they were only $.10 more a lb)
2 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder (adjust if you want more heat)
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To roast the sweet potato's I put them in a 9 x 13 glass pan and combined them with oil and spices. I roasted for 45 minutes turning once about half way.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes!

Soup
1/2 tbsp organic coconut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicier)
2 cups organic, low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk

In a medium saucepan melt the coconut oil and add garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is softened. Add cayenne pepper and roasted sweet potato's and fry for a couple of minutes to "wake up" the pepper. Add chicken stock and coconut milk and stir until combined. Remove from heat and puree the mixture until its as smooth as you want it - I used a hand blender but a food processor or blender would also work. I actually left a few chunks in to give it some texture. Be careful if your mixture is hot or let cool before pureeing. Put mixture back in pot and heat before serving.

Topping (Optional - I made this to add a bit of protein and because I was having a guest so wanted to jazz it up a bit but its fine without it)

3/4 cup plain high protein Greek Yogurt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 drops liquid Stevia (optional - my yogurt is a bit too tart for my liking)
1 tbsp Cilantro - I used frozen but dried, fresh or paste would work
Dash of salt

Combine all the ingredients and use as a topper on soup. I would have added some lime if I had any - next time.

A delicious dollop of garlic cilantro high protein yogurt!!

Clean Paleo Tomato Carrot Meat Sauce with Roasted Kabocha Squash - with Wheat-free alternatives to spaghetti

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone. Originally I was going to take the night off from cooking for Valentine's Day but baby was super co-operative this morning so I ended up making the girls favorite - "spaghetti" and meat sauce. My old self used to make this all the time by throwing a can of Ragu in with some browned meat and serving with white pasta. Well, now that processed food and wheat is literally off the table I have had to start making my own sauce from scratch and have come up with some alternatives for the wheat pasta I used to serve.

Tonight's Valentine's Dinner - clean, low-carb, wheat-free roasted kabochi squash with carrot and tomato meat sauce. Sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan!

Spaghetti Alternatives & Ideas
If you are also interested in moving away from the traditional wheat filled spaghetti here are some options for you:

Wheat-free and Gluten-free Brown rice pasta and corn spaghetti or Wheat-free Low-carb Shirataki noodles.

1) Brown Rice Pasta or Corn Pasta - these are wheat and gluten-free and seem to be kid-friendly (i.e. my picky eaters eat it and like it). Although you get away from the wheat, you don't get away from the high carbohydrate load so this isn't a great option for someone trying to stabilize their blood sugar and/or lose weight. But kids can handle more carbohydrates and love noodles so I serve these to my little ones.
2) Shirataki Tofu Noodles - they sell spaghetti shaped ones at Safeway. These are both low-carb and wheat-free so a great alternative to wheat pasta. My five year-old has tried and liked them.
3) Squash - there are all kinds of squash to try out there. Squash makes a great alternative to wheat-pasta because it is naturally low-carbohydrate and super nutrient dense. Traditionally people use spaghetti squash to replace spaghetti but today I decided to roast a Kabocha squash to have with our meat sauce. I'll post the roasting instructions here tomorrow.

That's a Kabocha squash cut in half.  In some cultures its revered as an aphrodisiac. Ahhhh - perfect for Valentine's Day!

Clean Carrot & Tomato Meat Sauce - low carb, low sodium, wheat-free 
I have tried to sneak more veggies into my kids foods on more than one occasion, often unsuccessfully.  The last time I tried to add shredded carrot to meat sauce my three year old picked it out and then claimed the whole dish unworthy of her palate (same goes for chunks of tomato). So today I put the sauce through the food processor before adding to the meat - problem solved??? Kind of..........my 5 year-old loved it but apparently my 3 year-old wasn't interested in supper after OD'ing on Valentine's treats at daycare - big sigh!!! I will keep trying.

1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup carrot, shredded (I used my cheese grater but the food processor works awesome when baby isn't sleeping)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
pepper to taste
5 drops liquid Stevia (optional)
28 oz/796 ml can Diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste (you could throw in the full can if you want)

1 lb lean ground beef, browned and lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder

Fry the oil, garlic, and onion for a couple of minutes until softened. Add carrot, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes (until carrot is softened), stirring occasionally.  Add Stevia, diced tomato's and tomato paste. Mix well, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. If you want to make it a smooth texture for the kids put this mixture through the blender or food processor (let cool or use caution if its hot). Add browned ground beef. At this point I put the mixture in the slow cooker and cooked on high for 1 hour and low for 3 hours (simply because we had to leave for swimming lessons). If I were at home I would have probably let it simmer on low for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to let the flavors blend. Serve with a spaghetti alternative and sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

Kabocha squash topped with "spagetti" sauce.

Paleo Dark Chocolate Banana Bread - Five Yummies Mommy

So apparently my 3 year-old has a new rating system for whether she likes something and this banana bread recipe got an "its 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 yummies mommy". I'd say my children are either extremely sweet deprived or its pretty good. They pretty much ate the whole loaf in one afternoon/evening. Keep in mind these are PICKY eaters so that's a big deal.

This dark chocolate banana bread disappeared pretty darn quick - good thing I didn't wait to take a picture!

I was quite happy with it for a low-sugar, wheat-free banana bread. I will keep experimenting as banana bread is one of our favorites around here and it is so handy to have around for snacks. Its relatively low sugar and has some protein from the almonds so I don't have to feel guilty about feeding it to the kids. If you wanted to make it even cleaner and lower carb you could definitely cut-back on the agave and chocolate chips. I was making this for the kids so definitely wasn't as worried about sugar.

Paleo Dark Chocolate Banana Bread 

2 cups blanched almond flour (almond meal should work too)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 ripe banana's, mashed (I used previously frozen ones)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (preferably over 70% cacao)
REVISED - I ACTUALLY TRIED THIS RECIPE AGAIN AND DID THE EXACT SAME THING BUT ADDED 1/2 CUP OF GROUND FLAX (GOLDEN OR BROWN IS FINE) AND IT WAS EVEN MORE FABULOUS "SUPERSTAR, CAN'T BELIEVE ITS NOT WHEAT" BANANA BREAD.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan (I used butter in a glass Pyrex loaf pan and it didn't stick at all).  Combine almond flour, cinnamon and baking soda. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then add the water, vanilla, agave and mashed banana's - mixing thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake for 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean in the centre. Let cool before slicing. Watch it disappear and have to come up with something else for snacks tomorrow.

Paleo Dried Apricot, Ginger and Pear Chutney on Grilled Chicken Breasts

I have never made chutney in my life so I have nothing to compare this to but I think this was pretty tasty for my first time. I am a sucker for anything sweet and I am always more than happy to top my entrees with a little bit of fruit especially now that I gave up sugar and milk chocolate.

Dried apricot, ginger and pear chutney served on a grilled chicken breast. With some spinach.

I'm pretty excited about this chutney because it was super easy and quick to make. You could make it ahead of time (one of those things you could make on Sunday for a Wednesday night meal) and you could use it for chicken, salmon or fish. I also tried some with a piece of cheese - OMG - that's a good combination. It would go great with a cheese tray. You could also adjust the spices for whatever you like or have in your pantry if you don't have cumin - its a pretty versatile base recipe. I think it would work well with cilantro or curry.  And if you don't have pears why not try it with apple. I used the leftovers as a salad dressing by mixing it with some plain high protein Greek yogurt and a bit of milk. Good stuff. That would probably work as a chicken finger dip as well. Ah - so many meals to try, so little time.

I like to throw my chicken breasts on some fresh spinach - good way to get some fresh leafy greens and it fills up the plate. Sometimes it looks a bit empty with the wheat, rice or potato's missing.

Dried Apricot and Pear Chutney

1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2/3 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
3 tbsps apple cider vinegar
4 drops liquid Stevia
1/2 tbsp honey
1 ripe Bartlett pear, peeled and finely chopped
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
pinch of salt and pepper

Melt the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a low simmer and cook until thickened and cooked through. Approximately 20 - 25 minutes.  Stir frequently and add extra water if the consistency seems too thick.

I served the chutney on grilled chicken breast (yes- I barbecue in the winter when its only -3 even if my barbecue is covered with snow). I just seasoned the chicken breasts with ground ginger, cumin, garlic powder and salt and pepper. I won't give cooking times because barbecues don't quite work the same in a pile of snow. Just grill until done.

A spoonful of chutney also tastes great with cheese! 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Avocado Cheesecake Bites with Wheat-free Chocolate Walnut Crust

Just got back from my first PAC meeting and got nominated in as treasurer...........I feel like such a grown-up. I have no idea what is going on with the school system so don't know how much I am going to add but I can write a mean cheque. And I whipped up another mean avocado dessert yesterday to take to a Valentine's party.

Another low carb avocado dessert - a wheat-free dark chocolate walnut crust topped with peanut butter, avocado, chocolate cheesecake. A nice little bite of deliciousness.

They tasted pretty awesome to me but I'm definitely moving on to something else now. I love avocado's but three days of Banana Chocolate Avocado Pie, some avocado deviled eggs and now avocado cheesecake bites and I'm ready to move on. And I think I have been overdoing it on the "treats" even if they are full of healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber. My goal is to overcome my sugar addiction and getting in the habit of eating pie or cheesecake after every meal isn't going to help even if they are clean. I know I'm starting to overdo it when I'm looking for something sweet after breakfast or making sure every breakfast is topped with maple syrup......not good. So I will be making these tasty little morsels again but not for a while.

And trust me - no one will know they are made with avocado's...........

I topped this one with a dollop of coconut whipped cream. Yum!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Avocado Cheesecake Bites with Wheat-free  Chocolate Walnut Crust

Makes 10 cupcakes

Crust
This crust was based on my wheat free walnut chocolate crust but adjusted to use in lined muffin tins.

2 tbsps dark chocolate chips (over 70% cacao is best)
1 cup walnuts

1/2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse the chocolate chips in a food processor until they are like fine sand. Add the walnuts, oil and vanilla to the food processor and blend until the walnuts are like course sand and ingredients are fully mixed. Press the walnut mixture into 10 lined muffin tins (I used a spoon and put about 1 tbsp of walnut mixture into each tin).  Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool fully before topping with cheesecake.

Cheesecake Topping

2 oz Neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and cubed
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 drops liquid Stevia (use some honey if you don't have)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (over 70% cacao is best)

Put the cheese, peanut butter, avocado, vanilla, and Stevia in the food processor. Pulse until fully combined and smooth. Melt the dark chocolate chips. I did this in the microwave as follows: 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir. You may have to adjust for your microwave strength - just make sure they are all melted but stop as soon as they melt. Pour the melted chocolate into the food processor with the avocado mixture and pulse until combined. 

Assembly
Put about 1 tbsp of cheesecake topping on the walnut crust in each muffin tin - smooth out the top. Let chill in the fridge before serving and keep in fridge until ready to serve. You can top with coconut whipped cream, peanuts, coconut - whatever you feel like.