Fruit Kabobs

The girl was desperate to try another recipe from her birthday cookbook, "Cooking Class." Once again a breakfast recipe, fruit kabobs. These ones were made with banana, apples and mini oranges. It was another fun kid made breakfast, with dad acting as sous-chef. Thanks kids!

 

 

 Many blessings this fine night.--Kate

Teriyaki Chicken

When I found this recipe it was for oven baked teriyaki wings. I never did make the wings, but I have used the sauce many times now as a marinade. I would not say that it really tastes much like teriyaki, but it is a delicious Asian inspired sauce.

Teriyaki Chicken Marinade.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons spoonable stevia
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 1/2 cup liquid aminos or organic tamari
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup  hot sauce (adjust to your taste)
• 4-5 pounds organic chicken
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

Directions:

Melt butter in a small-medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the stevia, wine, tamari, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt ,pepper, and garlic powder and mix.  In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the sauce. It is a thin sauce. Cook chicken how you like.

Enjoy!


Many blessings on this fine night.--Kate

P.S. Sorry no pictures yet. We always seem to gobble this dish down before I remember to take the pictures. I will post some as soon as we make this meal again.--K

Grain-Free Banana Bread

My daughter loves banana bread, but my son loves bananas. So between our dietary changes and the rapidly disappearing bananas I have not had a chance to try out a grain free recipe until tonight.

This one I found I think is a winner. Well at least for me, the kids have not had a chance to try it yet as they were in bed before the bread was done baking.

Grain-free Banana Bread

Ingredients
-3 ripe bananas
-3 Tbsp of almond butter
-Juice of ½ lemon
-½ cup of coconut flour
-4 pasture-raised eggs
-1 tsp of baking soda
-2 Tbsp of grass-fed butter, ghee or coconut oil (melted)
-1 Tbsp of raw honey or grade B maple syrup (I used 1 tsp of stevia and 2 Tbsp of xylitol.)

-1 tsp of vanilla
-Pinch of pink salt (called real salt, It is salt will all it's minerals.)

Directions
*Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line your loaf tin.
Combine and mix coconut flour, baking soda, xylitol and salt in one bowl.
In another bowl, combine bananas, almond butter, lemon, eggs (whisk eggs separately before adding,) butter, stevia, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

 

 

 Enjoy!

Many blessings on this very fine night.--Kate

My Girl's Birthday Cake and Cupcakes

I have posted this chocolate cake recipe previously, but it is so good it is getting a second go. I also used a cream cheese frosting instead of the chocolate so there is that change. 

Decadent Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes 1 – 9 inch cake. Double the recipe if you want two layers.)
Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can of unseasoned black beans
5 large organic eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted organic butter OR extra virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup xyliol plus 1/2 teaspoon liquid pure stevia extract
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon filtered water

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  grease a 9″ cake pan with coconut oil or  a thin layer of butter. Dust cocoa all over the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan (put a couple drops of oil so that is doesn’t curl, then grease the top of the parchment lightly.

Drain and rinse beans and shake off excess water. Place the beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, stevia and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. Make sure there are no chunks.  Mix together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter with xylitol until light and fluffy. Add the remaining two eggs, beating for one minute after each addition. 

Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water  and beat the batter on high for one minute or until smooth. Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done with the top is rounded and firm to the touch. After 10 minutes, turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Let cool until cake reaches room temperature, then cover with an overturned bowl.  (Frost immediately before serving)

 To make this cake I needed two bowls and a blender.   

Cream Cheese Frosting
(I was able to frost the cake the cupcakes and had enough frosting left to use it as a fresh fruit dipping sauce. So this could easily be cut in half, or use the full batch and you could have plenty to frost a double layer cake with a layer of frosting in the middle.)

Ingredients: 
2 – 8 ounce packages of organic cream cheese, softened 
1/2 cup plain Amasai or organic heavy whipping cream 
1 tablespoon vanilla 
1/2 cup Xylitol or spoonable stevia to taste

Directions: 

Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer until well combined.  For a thinner consistency, add more Amasai or whipping cream.

 
 It is the perfect party cake recipe. I hope you enjoy!

Many blessings to you this fine spring like day.--Kate

Meat Loaf.

In my quest to find new recipes for using ground beef I came across this meal plan winner.

Meatloaf

Ingredients:
-1 lb Grass-fed Ground Beef
-1 small Yellow Onion, chopped
-1 clove Garlic, minced
-½ Cup Flat leaf Parsley, finely chopped
-1 large Free-range Egg, lightly beaten
-1 Cup Ezekiel bread, lightly toasted and processed into bread crumbs (Find it in the freezer section)
-2/3 Cup Organic tomato paste or Organic fruit sweetened Ketchup (No high fructose corn syrup!
-1 teaspoon Sea salt
-½ teaspoon pepper

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In medium bowl combine chopped onion, garlic, parsley, egg and 1/3 Cup tomato paste/ketchup.  Add Ezekiel bread crumbs and beef and season with salt and pepper.  Mix until well combined.  Place mixture in a 6 Cup capacity loaf pan (8x4 inch) or simply shape into a loaf on a glass baking dish.  Pat gently to make a rounded top.  Do not pack.  Bake meatloaf for 50 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush with remaining 1/3 Cup tomato paste or ketchup.  Return to oven, bake until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads160 degrees F (approx 10-20 minutes).  Cool meatloaf for 10 minutes in pan before slicing.

Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

Chicken Wings

I have made this yummy recipe several times on chicken wings and legs, but most recently we tried it as a marinade for a whole chicken we then oven roasted. It turned out divine.

Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
-4 lbs Chicken wings
-1/4 c Fresh Lemon juice. (The first time I made this recipe I did not have lemon juice so I used 1/4 cup vinegar. So now I use 3 Tbsp Vinegar and 2 Tbsp of the Lemon Juice.)
-1Tbsp ground pepper
-1Tbsp garlic powder
-1Tbsp onion powder
-2tsp salt
-2tsp Thyme
-1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper (one of the times I made it I substituted Cumin-so good.)
-1/4 c unsalted butter. (melted)

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
In a large bowl toss wings with lemon. Add spices, crushing the thyme between your fingers as you go. Add melted butter. Stir mixture thoroughly. Arrange in a single layer on the sheet.
Cook 20 minutes then rotate sheet and flip wings. Cook 10 minutes more until browned and cook through.

Enjoy!

When we cooked the whole chicken we made a mini Thanksgiving meal out of it. So we served it with a cornbread stuffing, yams and green beans. It was a wonderful meal.

**If you choose to make a whole chicken and just use the mixture as a marinade make sure that you follow the directions for cooking a whole chicken. The cooking temperatures and times here are just for making the wings.**

Many blessings on this fine brisk evening.--Kate

Cheese Pizza with Cauliflower Crust.

Cheese Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

I have been checking out several recipes for breads that use some really interesting alternatives for grain. This was my first foray into that world. 

I am constantly amazed at all the different recipes that use cauliflower as a substitute. We have many times made cauliflower mashed faux-tatoes. I have seen a recipe that uses cauliflower to make tortillas. There is also a cauliflower bread stick recipe that looks really good. (That will probably be my next cauliflower experiment.) I chose cauliflower pizza crust because my kids love pizza and finding a grain-free alternative makes me happy. I also figured having it be pizza increased my chances of actually getting them to eat it. Boy was I right, they each scarfed down three pieces. It was a huge hit and best of all it was really easy and fast to make. We just had a plain cheese pizza this time but now that we know it is so very tasty we will probably be more daring on the next attempt.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce mixed with 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with butter or coconut oil. Grate the cauliflower with a cheese grater. Place in water in a stainless steel pan and cook for 12 minutes. Mix together the grated cauliflower, egg, and half of the cheese. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a round about 1/4” thick. Brush olive oil over top of crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Add tomato sauce, remaining cheese, and your choice of toppings. Return to oven for 5–10 minutes, just until cheese is melted.

 










Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this fine night.--Kate

No-Bake Huckleberry Cheese Cake

Do you need a delicious and beautiful dessert for Valentine's Day? Well look no farther. This cheese cake is easy to put together and a delight to the senses.

 

No-Bake Cheesecake with Huckleberry Sauce

Free of:  Gluten, Grain, Sugar

Full of:  Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Antioxidants, Vitamin C and K, Fiber, Folic Acid

 

Ingredients:

1-16 oz bottle heavy whipping cream-Organic

2-8 oz pkgs organic cream cheese

1/2 cup xylitol-or to taste

1 organic vanilla bean (I just used traditional organic vanilla)

2 cups walnuts finely crushed

4 tablespoons raw or organic butter

1 pint organic Huckleberries (or what ever berry you have.)

1 to 2 tbsp xylitol for berries(depending on sweetness of berries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Directions:

Allow both cream and cream cheese to become room temperature.

Mix whipping cream until stiff.  Set aside.  Mix cream cheese and xylitol until smooth.  (The longer the better to break down xylitol).  Add vanilla.  Mix into cream cheese mixture.  Pour cream cheese mixture into whipped cream and mix by hand well but gently.  Place bowl in refrigerator and chill.

Finely crush walnuts by hand or in food processor.  Melt butter in preheating oven.  Place crushed walnuts in pie plate.  Pour melted butter into crushed walnuts and carefully blend until mixture becomes a ball.  With fingers press and mold into the pie plate.  It does not have to be perfect, even small holes will be okay.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until butter is mostly absorbed and crust is just turning brown.

Take crust out and let cool completely.  Do not put filling in even if your crust is slightly above room temperature.  Once it is completely cool, pour in cheesecake mixture.  Place in refrigerator to set.  The cheesecake mixture will bind the crust as it sets.  

Topping:  Put berries in a saucepan with 1 to 2 teaspoons of xylitol depending on the ripeness of the berries.  Cook on low heat and allow to simmer until it slightly thickens and becomes sauce-like.  If you have a berry with seeds that you would prefer to avoid, pour through a strainer and place sauce in refrigerator to chill.

Key Lime Cheesecake:  After mixing the cream cheese mixture and the whipped cream mixture I add about 1/3 cup of key lime juice and the zest of one key lime.  Again, you can use more or less depending on the tartness of your limes. 

This dessert is also delicious with Chocolate Chips.

Many blessings to you this sweet and very fine day.--Kate

Chicken Salad

A wonderful basic Chicken Salad recipe that can easily be embellished.

Ingredients:
-3-4 cups  Chicken-cooked and chopped
-1 cup  Celery-diced
-2 Tbsp  Green Onion-chopped
-6 Tbsp  Vegenaise (Grapeseed oil-a purple lid)
-3 Tbsp  Pecans-chopped
-1 Tbsp  Lemon Juice
-1/4 cup  Parmesan-grated
Salt and Pepper to taste.





Directions:
*How to cook the chicken to keep it nice and moist.*
--2 Tbsp coconut oil (to coat the pan.) Heat pan on med/high heat. Cook chicken breasts on one side for 1 min and turn them over, (if the pieces are quite thick I cut them a bit thinner.) Cover and turn heat down to low. Cook for 10-15 min on low (depending on the thickness of the chicken.) Then turn the element off and continue to let the chicken sit covered for an additional 10 minutes. Remove lid and check to make sure the chicken is cooked through. The key is to not remove the lid for the entire 20-25 minutes.




 *Putting together the Chicken Salad.*
--Cube the chicken and then mix all the ingredients together. This dish can be served hot with Parmesan sprinkled on top. Chilled and served as a sandwich, or turned into a casserole. Put in a greased casserole dish, top with organic or raw Parmesan or Cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
 

*Great additions could be grapes, cranberries or apples. Good veggie alternatives could be cucumber or Bell peppers. Nut options could be chopped Almonds or Cashews.

Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this fine evening.--Kate

Coconut Pancakes

A wonderful grain free pancake option. It is a little bit sweeter and much lighter then almond pancakes, (a recipe I will share later.) My youngest requests these pancakes almost every morning. 

Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients:
-3 eggs
-4 Tbsp Organic butter (melted)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp Coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup Xylitol (I have found that it makes the pancakes taste much better then the Stevia does.
2 tsp coconut oil to cook in. (You do not need much the butter in the batter helps it to not stick, but I have found that for the first pancake I have to have a little something in the pan.)

Directions:
* Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Then add the wet to the dry ingredients. 
Over medium heat add 2-3 Tbsp of batter to the skillet. Makes approx. 10 cakes.

My youngest enjoying some breakfast.

Many blessings to you on this fine night. 

Chicken Pot Pie

Here is another great use for that delicious Almond Cheese Cracker recipe from last week. 

Chicken Pot Pie
 
Ingredients:
-1 lbs Chicken
-1/2 cup onion, chopped
-1/2 cup celery, chopped
-2 Tbsp Coconut oil
-1/2 cup Chicken Broth
-1 cup peas
-2 Tbsp Arrow Root
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp Marjoram
-1/4 tsp pepper
-1 tsp Basil

Directions
* In large skillet saute onion and celery in coconut oil. Add chicken and broth. Cook for 5 minutes then add spices, peas and arrow root. Cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Make the almond cheese cracker for the top. 

Put chicken mixture in a casserole dish and top with Cracker. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this lovely night.--Kate

A Savory Snack.

A few Saturdays ago I mentioned a friend of ours, that helped drive my husband to work, and the snacks that we made for him. Today's recipe is the Almond Cheese Crackers. A simple, quick and delicious snack option. 

Almond Cheese Crackers

Ingredients:
-1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
-1 egg
 -1 1/4 cup almond flour
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:
-Mix all dry ingredients including cheese. In a separate bowl melt oil and add egg. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture. Will make a dough that can easily be shaped. 
Roll dough out between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Cut into 2" squares. Slide onto baking sheet. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 min. Let brown slightly if you like crispy crackers. Once cool you can break into the little squares. 

Really delicious with soup.

Many blessings to you on this fine chilly evening.--Kate

Warm you up food.

Tonight's recipe is one we eat fairly often because it can be easily changed with just a few ingredients and it is so very delicious. Plus it is a great dish to eat on these cold autumn nights. 

Easy Chili

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp coconut oil
-1/2 cup onion-chopped
-2 garlic cloves
-1 1/2 cup celery-chopped
-1 cup green pepper-chopped
-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
-2 tsp thyme
-2 tsp chili powder
-2 tsp cumin
-1  8 oz can diced tomatoes
-salt and pepper to taste
-salsa (optional)

Directions:
* In a large skillet, saute onions, garlic, celery and peppers in oil until tender. Add meat, thyme, chili powder and cumin and stir frequently for 5-6 minutes. 
Add tomatoes to pot. Cover and simmer for an hour. (this can also be cooked in the crock pot on low.)

You can add a can or two of black or kidney beans and have a more traditional chili. This recipe makes great taco meat. I have added green beans or peas in the last 5 minutes of cooking also. As you can see a easy dish to make and easy dish to experiment with. 

Just do not forget to top it with cheese, yum. 

Many blessing to you on this fine night--Kate

Chicken Nuggets

One of the dishes that the kids were most sad to see go was Chicken Nuggets. So again that was one of the recipes I went in search of. I found this delicious recipe and also fell in love with Vegenaise, which is saying a lot because I strongly dislike Mayonnaise and have not eaten it for nearly 20 years. 

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients
-1 lb thin chicken pieces
-1/2 cup grape seed Vegenaise
-1/2 cup almond flour (I also like to add 2 Tbsp coconut flour)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
-Mix the flours and spices together in one bowl. Put vegenaise in another bowl. Dredge in vegenaise then in flour mixture. 
-Place on baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, flipping the nuggets at 15 minutes. 

We serve them with a honey mustard sauce for the kids. 2 Tbsp Mustard, 1 Tbsp honey stir until the color changes and sauce becomes thin. Yummy!

Many blessings to you on this fine day.--Kate

A taste of harvest.

I love the winter squashes, but Rob only really likes one variety, the pumpkin. In fact pumpkin pie is Rob's favorite birthday dessert. So one of the first snack foods I found when we started the Maximized eating plan was a recipe for Grain-less pumpkin muffins.

I have made them many times because they have been a big hit with the whole family. Especially with my husband because they have a pumpkin pie texture to them. I am a recipe tinkerer. The first time I make something I follow the recipe (mostly) but after that I like to try to perfect the recipe. Every batch has been good, but the ones I worked up today are especially so.

I will give you the original recipe and then let you know what additions I made.


Grain-less Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:
-1/2 can Pure pumpkin puree (7.5oz)
-2 Eggs
-1/4 tsp Stevia (liquid)
4 Tbsp Butter (organic)
1 tsp pure Vanilla
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Almond Flour.

Directions:
-In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT Flour.
-Mix well with hand mixer (or machine). Stir in Almond flour. Batter will be very think.
-Spoon batter into muffin cups.
-Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees. (I do 15 min, 10 min, 3 min. and I turn the trays each time I open the door.)
-Will have a pumpkin pie texture.

So the first change in this batch is that I used fresh pumpkin that I roasted in the oven. It was a small pumpkin so each half was about 1 cup of puree. I still used Stevia but I added Xylitol. I also used milk to thin the batter so it was the consistency of pancake batter. (Maybe a bit thicker.) Finally I added chocolate chips.

The ingredients: (doubled batch)
-1 cup fresh pumpkin
-4 Eggs
-1/4 tsp Stevia
-1/3 cup Xylitol
-1/2 cup Butter
2 tsp pure Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Clove
1/2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Salt
2 cups Almond flour
2/3 cup Milk (raw)
2/3 cup Chocolate chips (bitter sweet)

*I mixed the milk in after the Almond flour and then just stirred the chocolate chips in with a rubber scrapper.

The chocolate chips definitely make it a dessert muffin.

Many blessings to you this fine night--Kate

Recipe Night

Today is a late post for one very fun and yummy reason. We went to a recipe night hosted by our Maximized Living clinic, Summit Family Chiropractic. They host this event once a year and it is an evening to try out new grain free, sugar free, healthy recipes. As an added bonus they are also ridiculously delicious recipes too. I am going to share three recipes with you tonight. First the recipe I made for the event, Taco Pie and then my two favorites for the evening. 

Taco Pie

Crust Ingredients:
-2 cup almond flour
-1 tsp salt
-3 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-8 oz cheddar cheese (I used organic)
-1 egg (again for us organic.)

Crust Preparation:
*Combine all dry ingredients including grated cheese in a med bowl. In a small bowl whisk egg, then add it to the dry ingredients. Knead the mixture by hand to evenly distribute all ingredients. The "dough" will form a ball. Push dough down in a pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn off oven and let crust rest for additional 10 minutes, (unless you like a softer consistency for the crust then remove immediately after the first 10 minutes.)

Filling Ingredients:
-1 lb ground beef (once again organic grass fed)
-2 Tbsp chili powder
-1 tsp salt
-2 tsp cumin
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-2 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
-1/2 cup water (I used organic chicken broth)
-3 Tbsp salsa (optional)

Filling Directions:
*Brown ground beef then add spices, broth/water and salsa if desired. Cook for additional 5 minutes. Pour over prepared crust top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. 

Toppings:
-Salsa
-Avocado
-Olives
-Shredded Spinach
-Hot Sauce
-Sour Cream
-Cilantro
-Black Beans

Here is my Taco "Pie" post oven but before toppings. It was still too hot.

Recipe number 2--"Mac" and Cheese

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup butter (organic)
3 Tbsp Cream Cheese (organic)
1/4 cup Chicken broth (organic)
1 cup Cheddar Cheese- shredded (yup, organic)
Salt and pepper to taste
Additional cheese for topping
2 jars of Heart of Palm

Directions:
*In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in cream cheese and broth until completely combined and smooth. Reduce heat slightly and add cheese, stirring until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Instead of traditional macaroni noodles, cut 2 jars of heart of palm into discs or moon shapes by cutting the cylinder in half lengthways then into slices. Boil in water for 5-7 minutes. Drain well and add cheese sauce. Put into baking dish and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly. 

I would have taken a picture but this dish was a crowd favorite and there was not a morsel left to photograph.

Finally the Decadent Chocolate Cake

Decadent Chocolate Cake

(makes 1 – 9 inch cake)

Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can of unseasoned black beans
5 large organic eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted organic butter OR extra virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup xyliol plus 1/2 teaspoon liquid pure stevia extract
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon filtered water

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  grease a 9″ cake pan with coconut oil or  a thin layer of butter. Dust cocoa all over the inside of the pan, tapping to evenly distribute. Cut a round of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan (put a couple drops of oil so that is doesn’t curl, then grease the top of the parchment lightly.
Drain and rinse beans and shake off excess water. Place the beans, 3 of the eggs, vanilla, stevia and salt into blender. Blend on high until beans are completely liquefied. Make sure there are no chunks.  Mix together cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter with xylitol until light and fluffy. Add the remaining two eggs, beating for one minute after each addition. Pour bean batter into egg mixture and mix. Finally, stir in cocoa powder and water  and beat the batter on high for one minute or until smooth. Scrape batter into pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cake is done with the top is rounded and firm to the touch. After 10 minutes, turn out cake from pan, and flip over again on to a cooling rack. Let cool until cake reaches room temperature, then cover with an overturned bowl.  (Frost immediately before serving)

Super Chocolaty Frosting
 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted organic butter
1/4 cup xylitol, pulverized into powder
5-6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
Pure stevia extract, to taste
Optional addition for a glossy finish:
1 fresh organic egg yolk
Preparation:
Cream the butter in a small bowl until fluffy. Powder xylitol in a coffee grinder or for a minute or two, until extremely fine in texture (will look like powdered sugar). Stir powdered sweetener into butter with a spatula, then beat until smooth. Slowly blend in the cocoa powder (do this slowly so that it doesn’t explode), vanilla, and sea salt. Beat in the coconut milk and egg yolk. Add stevia, and keep tasting and adjust sweetness to your liking.

This cake was amazing. 

I hope you enjoy these three new recipes. 

Many blessings to you this very late night--Kate

Something Sweet

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I have a huge sweet tooth. So starting this new Maximized lifestyle was a very big step for me. After attending the Cancer Killers seminar I understand why it is so important to reduce or even eliminate as much sugar from your diet as you can. In fact if you have trouble losing weight it is recommended to use their Advanced Eating Plan, which removes ALL sugars from your diet until you lose 10 pound. So that your body can heal and retrain itself to be a fat burning machine. Why this is so important for being a cancer killer is because Cancer cells love sugar. In fact our bodies are designed to get energy one of two ways. They either use glucose, a fuel from sugars or ketones, a fuel from burning fat. Healthy cells can make the switch between the two sources of fuel, but cancer cells can not. Cancer cells can only get their fuel from sugar. Which means if your body becomes a fat burning machine, cancer cells die.

An interesting statistic for you. Americans today consume an average of 120 pounds of sugar per year, per person. Compared to the 5 pounds per year, per family in the early 1900s. Remember I said 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer and 1 in 3 women. 

So now you may understand a bit better why this girl with a huge sweet tooth would be willing to endure the loss of sugar. That being said, there was no way that this extreme meal makeover was going to work if I could not find a substitute for my sugary sweet treats. Thankfully after a quick search for recipes, I discovered that I am not alone in my desires. Actually, I discovered that there are more recipes for sweet snacks and desserts then all other categories combined. This is a very good thing. 

One of the discoveries, that is simple to make and a hit with the whole family is, Almond Butter Cups. They may not be Reese, but they sure are delicious. 

Almond Butter Cups--

Bottom layer-

*1 cup Almond Butter
*8 oz  Cream Cheese (softened) we use organic.
*1tsp. Pure Vanilla extract
*1/4 tsp. Salt (we also use real salt. It is pink, because all of the minerals are still in it. It does take a bit to get use to the fine grit, sandpaper texture. The flavor is so much better though.)
*Stevia to taste (about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp.)

Top layer-

*Bar of very dark chocolate at least 70% up to Unsweetened baking chocolate depending on your taste. The first time I made them I used a chocolate bar at 70% and then I did not use any stevia to sweeten. The second time I used unsweetened baking chocolate with 1/8 tsp stevia and I actually like it this way better. The bottom layer is sweet enough to have a more bitter top layer for my taste. 
*2 Tbsp Coconut oil
*2 Tbsp Butter, again we use organic. 

For the bottom layer-Blend almond butter, cream cheese, vanilla, salt and stevia. Spoon into cupcake liners and flatten. I use the silicone liners.

For the top layer, place chocolate, butter and oil in a sauce pan and melt over low heat then spoon over the bottom layer. 

Place in freezer to harden. I just leave them in the freezer. I feel like they get a little to soft in the refrigerator.   Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this fine day--Kate

Monday's Meals

During the first weekend in August there is a huge street fair/food fair/art and music festival in town. Just like every year my family and I went to check out all the wonderful sights, sounds and flavors. Little did we know that waiting for us at the fair was one very small booth that would alter our life path forever. 

Walking down the street looking at all the wares and whatnot on display, we were stopped with the question, "Do you have back or neck pain?" What resulted from that was joining a chiropractic group (Maximized Living,) that does so much more then adjustments of your spine. They also do adjustments of your lifestyle. Did you know that we are designed to live well into our 100s. So why as a nation are we so sick and dying in our 70s?

Back in August, my husband and I both discovered that our spines are in bad shape (literally). I was not too surprised about that since I had been suffering with chronic pain since my teens. What did surprise me was just how bad it was. So we both decided that it was not something to put off and signed up on the spot. We also discovered That there are 5 essentials of a Maximized life. Besides having a spine that is aligned to allow for maximum nerve signals to go out into your body there are 4 more principles to get you back to optimum health. They are your mindset, your nutrition, your exercise and reducing your exposure to toxins. 

This brings me to Mondays theme. Monday's Meals, is my chance to share some of the the very different and yet amazingly yummy dishes that we have started eating in our household this past month. You may notice that this meal plan is quite similar to the paleo diets out there with one HUGE difference. Absolutely NO sugar. None. Not even honey or Maple. Heavens even most fruits, especially all those delicious ones that are in season now. What does that leave? Berries, green apples and Stevia. This very strict no sugar rule is not forever it is just for the detoxification period. Believe me it is a detoxification period. There were some very dark days there at the beginning. 

The very first challenge was finding some breakfast options. I love breakfast, but eggs get boring really fast for me. Plus sometime I just want the ease of a fast cereal breakfast. The following is actually two cereal options that I found to be delicious when combined. 

The first is a Granola, minus the grain or "Nola." The second I call candy bar cereal because it smells just like a "Mounds" candy bar when you are making it. 

Ingredients: 

The first the "Nola" is very simple, 

1/4 cup whole flax seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Grind the nuts and seeds in a food processor or blender then add the cinnamon. Serve with whole raw, organic milk or almond milk.

Very important for the nuts to be raw though. You should not eat roasted, because the nut oil goes rancid in high heat.

 The second cereal: Candy Bar Cereal--

1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp Stevia
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract.

Heat coconut milk and cocoa powder on stove over low heat. When mixed remove from heat and add Stevia and vanilla, blend again then add shredded coconut. Spread mixture in a thin layer on a baking sheet.
Bake for 20-25 min at 350 degrees. Stirring at 10 minutes. Make sure it does not burn. Store in an airtight container.

Once the Candy Bar cereal has cooled I combine the two--

And serve 1/2 to 1 cup with raw whole milk--

Yummy breakfast and kid approved. Enjoy!

Many blessings to you on this fine day--Kate