Today is when I do most of my cooking/baking/food prep for my coming work week. Tomorrow kicks off my next night shift. QB wanted some better cornmeal muffins to nosh on while I am at work since the first recipe had a strange texture that really went weird if reheated in the microwave. These came out of the oven awesome, but we haven’t done the microwave test. Even if the mircowave isn’t compaitble, QB can heat them in the toaster oven. And, he likes them with smart balance.

Cornmeal Muffins II (makes ~20-30 mini muffins)

260g Organic Cornmeal
100g Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix
1t Baking Powder (aluminum free)
2 Eggs
100g Banana, mashed
150g Coconut Milk
120g Kefir
Stevia

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add all wet ingredients and mix well with a hand mixer (or whatever you use). Divide into the mini muffin pan. I ended up filling them to the top, and they overflowed a bit. I got 20, but you may get more if you don’t over fill. Bake for 25min. Done.

I made this for QB today, and it turned out really well. I liked the texture, and it is not only gluten free but low in sugar. Just make sure you use enough stevia. I taste the batter before I bake it. If the batter taste sweet enough, then the muffins will be fine. Once or twice I have not added enough stevia, but QB is able to compensate with some smart balance.

Gluten Free Berry Muffins (makes ~30 mini muffins)

150g Almond Flour (I grind my own in a small food processor)
90g Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix by Arrowhead Mills
80g Instant Oats
1t Baking Powder
Stevia

3 eggs
125g Coconut Milk (full fat)
28g Walnut Oil (2T)
200g Banana (2 smallish ones)
75-100g Blackberries
75-100g Cranberries
~1/2C water

Preheat oven to 350F. Put blackberries and cranberries in a cereal bowl, add about 1/2C water, and microwave for about 5min on high. You want the berries to pop while you are mixing the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In the bowl, make a “bowl” with the dry ingredients and add the eggs, coconut milk, oil, and bananas.

By this time, the berries are hopefully done. Pour them on top of everything in the bowl and beat with a mixer on high until all ingredients are combined. You want the batter to be slightly runny. Remember this is not wheat, so the batter will behave slightly differently. I work so much by texture when I bake, I have a hard time describing my methods. I always wonder how my recipes turn out if other people make them.

Once everything is mixed, divide batter into one or more mini muffin pans. If you use a full sized muffin pan, you may not want to fill it all the way in case the middle has trouble cooking all the way though. I haven’t experimented with larger muffins, so I really don’t know how they would turn out.

Put filled muffin pans into the oven and bake for 25min. Done. Here is a final pic:

QB asked if I could make him some cornmeal muffins after he saw some cornbread somewhere – I forget where. I figured I’d give it a go. The result was good enough to be post-able. QB said he would like them to be a little moister, but he says some people like drier muffins, so I should post the recipe anyway. I will likely modify this slightly the next time I make them, so I will update once I have the final winner.

*Note* After reheating these in teh microwave, QB says the texture is strange. So, the next batch will be a little different. Just wanted to give y’all a heads up.

Update 2: I cut these in half and heated them in the toaster over just until they were nice and warm. QB said the texture was fine when heated this way.

Gluten Free Cornmeal Muffins (21 mini muffins)

300g Organic Cornmeal
60g Tapioca Starch
3 Eggs
120g Kefir
100g Coconut Milk (full fat)
1 tsp Baking Powder – Al Free
3 tsp Stevia (just add some sugar sub for a little sweetness)

Preheat over to 350F. Mix all in a large bowl, and them spoon into muffin pan. My mini muffin pan may be slightly larger than the usual muffin pan, so I will say this recipe makes approximately 21 mini-muffins.

QB says these are wonderful with a little smart balance (we don’t buy butter).

Nutritional Profile per 1 mini muffin::::
===========================================
Report generated by CRON-o-Meter v0.9.7
===========================================

General (14%)
===========================================
Energy               |    84.9 kcal     6%
Protein              |     2.3 g        4%
Carbs                |    14.3 g        7%
Fiber              |     0.7 g        3%
Starch             |    10.5 g       70%
Sugars             |     0.6 g        1%
Fat                  |     2.0 g        4%

Vitamins (2%)
===========================================
Vitamin A            |    77.3 IU       2%
Lutein+Zeaxanthin  |   217.2 µg       4%
Folate               |     8.4 µg       5%
B1 (Thiamine)        |     0.0 mg       2%
B2 (Riboflavin)      |     0.0 mg       3%
B3 (Niacin)          |     0.2 mg       1%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)|     0.2 mg       3%
B6 (Pyridoxine)      |     0.0 mg       3%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) |     0.1 µg       5%
Vitamin C            |     0.1 mg       0%
Vitamin D            |     6.0 IU       3%
Vitamin E            |     0.1 mg       1%
Vitamin K            |     0.0 µg       0%

Minerals (3%)
===========================================
Calcium              |    12.8 mg       1%
Copper               |     0.0 mg       1%
Iron                 |     0.5 mg       3%
Magnesium            |     8.1 mg       3%
Manganese            |     0.1 mg       2%
Phosphorus           |    33.4 mg       5%
Potassium            |    42.1 mg       1%
Selenium             |     3.9 µg       7%
Sodium               |    14.6 mg       3%
Zinc                 |     0.2 mg       2%

Amino Acids (10%)
===========================================
CYS                  |     0.0 g       19%
ILE                  |     0.1 g        8%
LEU                  |     0.2 g       10%
LYS                  |     0.1 g        5%
MET                  |     0.1 g        9%
PHE                  |     0.1 g       11%
THR                  |     0.1 g        8%
TRP                  |     0.0 g        8%
TYR                  |     0.1 g       14%
VAL     &nbsp
;            |     0.1 g        7%

Lipids (3%)
===========================================
Saturated            |     1.2 g        6%
Monounsaturated      |     0.4 g        1%
Polyunsaturated      |     0.2 g        1%
Omega-3            |     0.0 g        1%
Omega-6            |     0.2 g        2%
Cholesterol          |    30.5 mg      10%

This is an alert for the emergency appetite control system. This is not a test. I repeat this is not a test. Please began emergency control procedures now.

So, the past few days I have really struggled to keep my average in the 1600s. The only reason my appetite didn’t trend into the 1700s is I had a 1400 calorie day the day before yesterday. What did I do differently that day? I started my day with eggs. So, I am testing the functioning of my appetite control system. Ha. Something must be done.

I know I have been eating a fairly high carb diet, but I have been eating low sugar and high fiber. Until recently, it did not seem to be affecting my appetite negatively. However, a few recent changes in my routine may have reduced my hunger inducing carb tolerance. Maybe. But, I must find out. I love the low sugar part of the diet. I can walk right past sweets, whether they be my most recent favorite derivations or free snacks at work, but I am still having trouble controlling my overall appetite.

I have noticed that my fat intake has been really low. I didn’t necessarily intend for this, but I was enjoying my carb-ie foods way to much to try to add more fat in. Bad bad bad, yes. Fun time is over though. So, today it all will start to change.

Since I did have a good calorie day on the day I started out with eggs verses carb food, I am going to try starting my day out differently and see how I fair. For today, my carbs will be close to 50%, so I am not low carb, but they are reduced and I am almost doubling my fat intake.

I just finished my “Appetite Control Shake I” and it was very good. So, I’ll post the recipe, then I will post the nutritional overview for my food plan today. Also, today is my first day back at work – on night shift- and I always have trouble when I wake up “early” and stay up until 7am since I have a longer awake time and my food needs to satisfy me longer. I often eat higher than what I consider ideal calories on a day like today, so I am very interested to see how hard of a time I have with this shift in my food plan.

I will be tweaking over the next few days to ensure a certain amount of fat, but since I am not trying to increase my protein much if at all, I will still have a moderate amount of carbs. If I am still having problems, I’ll have to devise a new plan.

Appetite Control Shake I (serves 1)

1C Almond Milk – Unsweetened
1/2C Water
7g Flax Oil
15g Nutiva Hemp Powder + Fiber
1 Omega Egg
200g Frozen Strawberries
1t Vanilla Extract
Stevia to taste

Blend well and serve. Yum. Here is the nutritional profile for the shake:::
General (23%)
===========================================
Energy               |   305.4 kcal    23%
Protein              |    14.1 g       24%
Carbs                |    24.8 g       13%
Fiber              |    12.0 g       48%
Starch             |     0.1 g        1%
Sugars             |    10.2 g       20%
Fat                  |    17.1 g       36%

Vitamins (32%)
===========================================
Vitamin A            |   823.9 IU      16%
Lutein+Zeaxanthin  |   217.5 µg       4%
Folate               |    71.5 µg      40%
B1 (Thiamine)        |     0.1 mg       7%
B2 (Riboflavin)      |     0.3 mg      23%
B3 (Niacin)          |     0.8 mg       5%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)|     1.0 mg      19%
B6 (Pyridoxine)      |     0.2 mg      13%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) |     0.5 µg      24%
Vitamin C            |   117.6 mg     196%
Vitamin D            |   125.0 IU      62%
Vitamin E            |    16.3 mg     136%
Vitamin K            |     4.5 µg       5%

Minerals (22%)
===========================================
Calcium              |   282.1 mg      28%
Copper               |     0.2 mg       8%
Iron                 |     2.3 mg      15%
Magnesium            |   145.4 mg      45%
Manganese            |     0.8 mg      20%
Phosphorus           |   184.4 mg      26%
Potassium            |   377.1 mg      11%
Selenium             |    16.6 µg      30%
Sodium               |    78.2 mg      16%
Zinc                 |     2.5 mg      21%

Amino Acids (61%)
===========================================
CYS                  |     0.2 g      106%
ILE                  |     0.6 g       50%
LEU                  |     0.9 g       41%
LYS                  |     0.7 g       38%
MET
|     0.3 g       50%
PHE                  |     0.6 g       61%
THR                  |     0.6 g       66%
TRP                  |     0.1 g       66%
TYR                  |     0.4 g       94%
VAL                  |     0.7 g       42%

Lipids (41%)
===========================================
Saturated            |     2.8 g       14%
Monounsaturated      |     3.2 g       13%
Polyunsaturated      |     6.9 g       27%
Omega-3            |     4.5 g      412%
Omega-6            |     2.3 g       21%
Cholesterol          |   211.5 mg      70%

So, that was my breakfast this “morning”. The rest of my planned day is below. Normally, the amount of calories planned would be easy to do, but given my appetite increase and my longer day today, this will really be a good opportunity to test my shake and my strategically added fat in other meals through out the day. I may not be done tweaking my plan yet, but not much should change. Take a look at the nice low sugar, high fiber, increased omega 3, and higher overall fat intake. Hum…we shall see how I do…….

===========================================
Nutrition Summary for May 11, 2010
Report generated by CRON-o-Meter v0.9.7
===========================================

General (92%)
===========================================
Energy               |  1373.2 kcal   101%
Protein              |    59.1 g      102%
Carbs                |   195.1 g       99%
Fiber              |    50.2 g      201%
Starch             |    11.5 g       77%
Sugars             |    35.5 g       71%
Fat                  |    47.1 g       98%

Vitamins (100%)
===========================================
Vitamin A            | 63569.2 IU    1271%
Lutein+Zeaxanthin  | 26776.9 µg     536%
Folate               |   700.9 µg     389%
B1 (Thiamine)        |     2.8 mg     258%
B2 (Riboflavin)      |    19.5 mg    1498%
B3 (Niacin)          |    16.4 mg     109%
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)|    29.6 mg     592%
B6 (Pyridoxine)      |    35.7 mg    2229%
B12 (Cyanocobalamin) |    51.5 µg    2573%
Vitamin C            |   398.4 mg     664%
Vitamin D            |  3625.0 IU    1812%
Vitamin E            |    28.5 mg     237%
Vitamin K            |  1336.0 µg    1484%

Minerals (100%)
===========================================
Calcium              |  1268.3 mg     127%
Copper               |     2.6 mg     129%
Iron                 |    20.3 mg     135%
Magnesium            |  1022.5 mg     320%
Manganese            |    10.2 mg     255%
Phosphorus           |  1361.3 mg     194%
Potassium            |  3561.6 mg     102%
Selenium             |   102.6 µg     187%
Sodium               |  1747.8 mg     350%
Zinc                 |    16.8 mg     140%

Amino Acids (100%)
===========================================
CYS                  |     1.1 g      485%
ILE                  |     2.4 g      214%
LEU                  |     4.1 g      186%
LYS                  |     2.9 g      170%
MET                  |     1.0 g      168%
PHE                  |     2.8 g      292%
THR                  |&nbs
p;    2.5 g      295%
TRP                  |     0.7 g      296%
TYR                  |     1.8 g      378%
VAL                  |     3.0 g      174%

Lipids (70%)
===========================================
Saturated            |    10.7 g       54%
Monounsaturated      |    13.4 g       54%
Polyunsaturated      |    14.6 g       58%
Omega-3            |     5.1 g      460%
Omega-6            |     9.5 g       86%
Cholesterol          |   211.5 mg      70%

QB loves his berry muffins, but in order to change things up a bit I wanted to try something new. He mentioned the idea of a banana bread type of muffin, so I set to work. These muffins are absolutely wonderful, but CRONies beware – these are twice the calorie density of the berry nut muffins. QB still has bias in favor of the berry ones, but he thinks these are a lovely deviation. I, personally, think they are heavenly. If I didn’t know that each small muffin was about 150 calories (you heard me), I would be more prone to snitching.These are a bit more expensive partly because they are denser so they batch is smaller, and partly because I added 4oz of pecans. So worth it though.


Paleo Banana Nut Muffins (20 *big* mini muffins)

150g Almond Flour (I grind my own)
40g Arrowroot Flour
56g Coconut Flour
4 Eggs
14g Coconut Oil
28g Walnut Oil
100g Coconut Milk -Full Fat
300g Bananas (3 small)
112g Pecans, chopped
Stevia
1/2t Imitation Banana Extract (optional controversial ingredient)

Pre-heat oven to 350F. I combined all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl -except pecans. I then made a large crater and filled it with the wet ingredients. I used my mixer to fully combine the mixture, then I added the chopped pecans. Divide into mini-muffin pan, or pan of choice. I think this recipe would make for a nice loaf as well. Bake muffins for 25min – may need longer if you use a loaf pan.

Once again, I am in the kitchen. Inventing. QB made a request for macaroons since I have not made them lately. As I was looking over the recipe, I decided I didn’t want to divide the eggs since I wasn’t sure what to do with the left over yolks. Then I had an idea. If I left the whole egg, wouldn’t the result be more like a custard? Hum….sounded good enough to attempt. The results were wonderful, and QB likes them better than the original. He said the macaroons really do have a custard flavor, which he likes. Score!


Paleo Coconut Custard Macaroons (18 macaroons)

4 eggs
112g High Fat Coconut Milk
1/2T Vanilla
Dash Salt
28g Coconut Flour
300g Shredded Coconut
Stevia to taste (I used 7t of the jar stevia I get at wegmans)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix wet ingredients, then add flour and salt. After all is homogeneous, stir in the coconut shreds. Use an 1/8C measuring cup and divide the batter onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with oil. Bake for 25-30 min, or until the tops begin to turn golden brown.

This is what I have been making QB for a week now. He loves them, and I do too. Awesomeness all the way around. I think these are some of the best paleo muffins I have made. I have to watch out though, because at ~80cal each mini muffin, the calories add up quick. That and the whole cooked fat issue…..sometimes my cooking skills don’t work in my best interest. Ha.


QB’s Awesome Paleo Muffins (24-30 mini muffins)

130g Almond Flour
40g Arrowroot Starch
56g Coconut Flour
4 Eggs
56g Coconut Oil
200g Cranberries, blackberries, raspberries in some combo
2 Bananas
Stevia to sweetness

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Since I use frozen berries, I put them in a bowl with about .5-1C water and microwave them so they will break apart when I mix them into the batter. Also, melt coconut oil, and pre-mash the bananas. Mix wet and dry ingredients with mixer. Make sure the mixture is moist, you may need to add more water. You want a cake batter like consistency. Scoop batter into mini muffin pan and bake for 20-25min.

Be careful when taking them out of the pan, these are addictive when hot. :-p

I tried marinating some brussels last night after making up this weird recipe. I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but it wasn’t bad. I wasn’t going to post it at first because it is rather forgettable, but half way through our bowls, QB and I almost simultaneously realized the missing ingredient. Cheese. Now, as paleo people we don’t keep a lot of cheese around, but QB has found that a little cheese doesn’t cause problems like *any* grain will. Since we are trying to transition to a mostly raw diet, we decided to look for a raw cheese just to add a little dietary variety while we were walking around Wegmans last night . Cheese isn’t something we make a regular habit of, but we thought it may make transitioning away from some of our cooked snacks easier.

I will put up the recipe with the cheese as an optional ingredient, but this dish was wow with the cheese.

Marinated Brussels + With Taboo Cheese On The Side (serves 2)

230g Brussles Sprouts, small sprouts sliced in 1mm-2mm slices
40g Black Olive, chopped fine
1T Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Tarragon Vinegar
3T Orange Juice
1/2t Tarragon, dried
1/2T Fennel Seeds, crushed with mortar & pestle
~2oz  Raw Asiago Cheese

Slice brussles and olives and toss together in a sealable container. In a small jar, mix liquids and shake well. Add tarragon and fennel to the liquids, shake. Combine with brussels, close lid, shake/toss, and allow to marinate overnight. Eat alone or with a slice of cheese on the side. Take a bite of salad and a small bit of cheese. Yum.

I finally got out my juicer, and I realized I forgot how much I really like fresh juice. I use to make it with an apple or two, but to avoid fructose I have decided to use pineapple instead. Pineapple and apple have about the same total sugar content, but the breakdown is very different. I am trying to find out how I can track total sugar on sparkpeople, but so far no luck. I messaged the spark people a few weeks ago, but no one has responded. They let you track damn near everything, but not total sugar? I think this has to be a mistake, but I don’t know how to get them to fix it! I am not eating ANY refined/concentrated sugars, but I still want to see in intake from fruits and veggie without adding it all manually.Grrr.

I wanted to post my juice and smoothie recipes. QB and I have been drinking this smoothie for over a week now, and we both really like it. The juice is a new thing, but will turn into a regular event.

Fresh Pineapple Carrot Kale Juice (serves 1 -2)
~400g Carrots (4-5)
140g Pineapple (I use frozen that I have let thaw)
60g Kale

First scrub carrots with an abrasive cloth/sponge. I have found that if this is not done, the juice can come out rather earthy tasting. Some people peel their carrots, but I find a good scrub is enough. Then just juice all ingredients. I have a Champion juicer, and I run the pulp back into the juicer until it is a dry as I can make it. If the juicer warms up the juice from the blade friction, just serve over ice or put juice in a bottle and let it cool in the fridge.

Variety Berry Smoothie (serves 2)

1C Almond Milk, unsweetened
1C Coconut Milk Beverage, unsweetened
40g Kale
10g Whey
20g Raw Hemp Protein Powder
2t Stevia
100g Pineapple
30g Blueberries
30g Raspberries
30g Blackberries
2 Egg yolks, raw

First steam kale slightly by microwaving for 30sec, then place in freezer to cool. Add liquid to blender, then add cooled kale, blend well. Add whey, hemp, and stevia. Blend. Add pineapple and berries and blend until smooth. Add egg yolks last, and gently blend enough to combine. Divide and drink.

I have been quite fond of my morning cocoa drink, but I have modified the recipe to the point it really needs it’s own entry. I’m not sure where I got the idea to use the egg, but the rest is loosely based on my hot cocoa breakfast drink.


CR Spicy Cacao + Maca Beverage (serves 1)

1 C Water
1/2 C Almond Milk, Unsweetened
1/2 C Coconut Milk Beverage, Unsweetened (SO Delicious)
1 Egg Yolk
7g Raw Cacao Powder
5g Raw Maca Powder
5g Instant Coffee, Decaf
1g Cinnamon
dash-1g Cayenne Powder
1t Stevia Powder

Combine water, almond milk, and coconut milk in small pot. Reserve ~1/4C liquid in small bowl. Separate the egg, beat yolk with reserved liquid in the small bowl, set aside. Measure out all dry ingredients in to a small bowl, set aside. Heat liquid over medium heat just until you see steam (it will be very warm to touch, but bearable). Wisk in egg + liquid a little at a time. Once egg is mixed in, whisk in dry ingredients. Remove from heat and serve. I try not to let the solution come to a boil at all. Just keep it warm enough to be a nice warm to semi hot drink. Enjoy