Banana Chocolate Chip Scones

My favorite pre-paleo recipe to bake was my sour cream scones.  I would make them about every week and eat 1 or 2 every morning for breakfast with my coffee.  This is just the way life works best for me when I can stumble downstairs in the morning and breakfast is there.  I have missed my scones since starting paleo in October.  But, today I am so happy to tell you that I have re-made my scone recipe with non-grain, (mostly) paleo ingredients and they are BETTER than before!  Better tasting AND better for you!

When I used to eat the non-paleo version for breakfast I felt terrible in the mornings and I was always starving again by 11:00 and eating lunch at 11:30 am.  Now, when I eat the remade version for breakfast I feel well and I am staying fuller longer.  I usually don't even think about lunch until 12:00 or later.

I was curious about the comparison of the nutrition facts between the 2 recipes. So, I entered the recipes into www.nutritiondata.self.com and this is what I found...

15 g less carbohydrate
3 g more fiber
2 g more protein
9 g more fat

Now, most of you are thinking, that is all good except for the higher fat content. BUT, contrary to the wildly popular belief, not all fat is bad.  There is a such thing as GOOD fat! Yes, it's true.  The fat in this recipe comes mainly from the coconut oil.  If you would like to learn more about the benefits of coconut oil here is a good resource from Dr. Joseph Mercola where he discusses the health benefits of coconut oil.


Banana Scones


2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 c. coconut flour
2 Tbsp. unpacked brown sugar
1/2  tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda


Wisk all about ingredients together in a large bowl. Then add:


2 mashed bananas (1 scant cup)
1 egg


Mix together (optional: add 1/2 c. chocolate chips) until dough comes together and form dough into a ball like this:   

Then (optional: sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar) pat into an 8 inch circle:

Use a pizza cutter and cut into 8 pieces and separate them:

Bake for 12-15 min in a 400 degree oven.  And, enjoy!


Let me know if you try this recipe and how it works for you!

I heart podcasts...

Part of what I am loving about whole food cooking and baking is learning about nutrition.  One of my new year's resolutions was to read more. But, with 4 kids, a job, a house to clean, errands to run, never ending laundry, who has time to read? That is when I found audio books from the suggestion of something I read at Money Saving Mom. And, since my husband had bought me a new iphone I was able to download an app for checking out free audio books from the public library.  Anyway, I digress...this is also how I found that I was able to listen to podcasts: while washing dishes, while folding laundry, while picking up toys...One of my favorite is Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low Carb show.  His show is wonderful and I have learned so many great things about nutrition from his show.  I am posting this because I love the podcast I listened to this morning and wanted to link to it.  So, if you have a few minutes I think it is worth your time.  Never know just what you might learn!

Cranberry Clementine Cauliflower Muffins

My creation for today utilizes 2 fruits and 1 vegetable.  I was curious about baking with cauliflower...



 But, before I could bake with it, I steamed and "riced" the cauliflower with a potato masher (I love this thing).

I pureed the clementines, then added the riced cauliflower, pureed until smooth and then added the rest of the wet ingredients: honey, oil, vanilla and eggs.

Here is the final result. I have to say, you can taste the cauliflower slightly.  But, they are still slightly sweet, high in protein, low in sugar and very filling.  I am happy for now.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 c. almond flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. riced cauliflower
1/2 c. pureed clementine (I used 4 small)
zest of said clementines...
2 eggs
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk first 4 ingredients together in large bowl.
Zest clementines into food processor, puree peeled clementines in food processor.
Add riced cauliflower and puree until well combined.
Add eggs, honey, oil and vanilla and process until combined.
Pour wet mixture into dry and mix together, fold in cranberries.
Scoop batter into greased muffin pan (I brush my stone with melted coconut oil) and bake for 20-25 min (test with toothpick).

What do you think? Is baking with cauliflower weird?  Willing to try it?

Raspberry Zucchini Muffins

Okay! My first post...I have been thinking about this little endeavor for quite some time now. I am excited to start posting the results of my baking experiments here with you. I am somewhat new to the world of gluten free baking. I actually started my gluten free journey a little naive this past October when I began a Paleo diet to loose some baby weight (he is now 10 months old). My sister was on this diet as part of a challenge with her gym (Crossfit). She and my brother-in-law were seeing good results. So, I googled "Paleo" and the rest is history...Now here I am 4 months later working to switch my family over to a non-processed food, gluten free, healthy fat, grassfed meat diet. I have serendipitously experienced some wonderful health benefits from this diet that has me convinced I will be eating this way indefinitely (read: forever). We have also found out, unwittingly, that my daughter has a gluten sensitivity. (Now we know why her tummy always hurt--and why the tummy aches are gone!)

As part of our new gluten free life. I have started baking with almond flour. Thanks to many great Paleo sites and blogs out there for guidance and recipes, I have been able to continue with my love of baking. This new way of eating has inspired me to try new things and to come up with my own recipes. Recipes that will try to pack in as much nutrition as possible, utilizing as many fruits and vegetables that I can pack into these cute little things called muffins.

Without further ado....

Raspberry Zucchini Muffins

2 c. blanched almond flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 c. raspberries

1 banana

3 eggs

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. light EVOO

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2c. shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wisk first 4 ingredients together in large bowl. In food processor grate zucchini, measure out and set aside. In food processor, process raspberries and banana until smooth. Add in remaining ingredients and process until well combined. Mix wet ingredients into the dry until well combined. Fold in zucchini.

Spoon batter into well greased muffin tin (I use a stone muffin tin and brush with melted coconut oil or spray olive oil).

Bake for 20-25 min until toothpick comes out clean.

Notes: I had planned to post beautiful pictures of each step of the recipe. But, since I am so new to this I was unable to figure it out. Hopefully in the future. At least I got the picture of the finished product!