Chocolate brownie muffins - dairy, nut and gluten free

The perfect little sweet treat that can be eaten on it's own or heated with cream.

Be wary though, these are addictive!

You can make these as 10 muffins or in a loaf/square baking tin, which will need a bit more cooking time.

Ingredients:

12 dates, soaked, drained and cut up

2 tablespoons of coconut nectar or maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil melted

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

3 eggs

3 tablespoon coconut flour

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1/4 cup 100% cocoa

1 tablespoon Billies sugar spice

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of sea salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Mix wet ingredients in a food processor until well combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix again. Scrap edges to get all the yummy bits in and mix once again.

Spoon into muffin cups.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Banana & Blueberry Muffins - gluten, dairy & nut free

Trying to think of good finger foods that my children can take to preschool has led me to hunt out, not only grain and dairy free recipes, but also nut free! I'm not keen on Isabel having nuts before she is 1 year old but wow is she keen to eat Elias's muffins. So I started creating.

Banana and blueberry muffins

Ingredients:

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup of coconut cream

3 eggs

1 tablespoon honey

2 ripe mashed bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/3 cup coconut flour 

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Sprinkle of sea salt

1/2 cup blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 180degrees C.

Place all ingredients except blueberries, in the food processor and blend together. Scrab down sides to make sure all is combined and whizz again. 

Put in 10-12 muffin cups and then evenly place or push the blueberries into the mixture.

Bake for 30mins

Looking for a good Butcher in New Zealand?

Today I went to visit "Everybody's Butchery" in Christchurch. I had been told that they do a good range of sugar, preservative and grain free meat products.

I was greeted by Lisa, the owner of the butchery. Lisa has been classically trained in Germany and prides herself in making the highest quality small goods. A friend of Lisa's eats Paleo and it was from her that their range of Paleo small goods evolved, absolutely flour, preservative and MSG free. Not to mention gluten free of course.

All meats in the butchery are sourced in Canterbury and are grass fed.

On top of all these awesome good quality products, they are also a fantastic price, "$2 less per kilo than the supermarket" Lisa says. And she is right, Ribeye for $26kg and Sausages for $14kg - just to name two.

Have a look at the pork products they sell. Just the start of their endless products at great prices.

And looking for Paleo Small Goods, look no further!

Paleo Bacon - $25 / kg

Beef Jerkey - $5 / 100g

Bier sticks - $30 /kg

Paleo Ham - $29.95 /kg

The original German Bratwurst and Snailsausages on the list are particularly Paleo as well.

Now if this all sounds too good to be true, go and visit them yourself! 372 Selwyn Street in Christchurch. For those of you not in Christchurch, I asked if Lisa would courier you a selection of meat on request and she said yes! South Island delivery cost $12 for up to 15kg. Bargain and you don't need to leave the house! She will happily deliver to the North Island too, with the cost probably being just slightly more than $12. 

So my suggestion is to flag the supermarket meat and head on over. I think I am going to make a weekly list and preorder it, pick it up on the same day each week. Really excited. You should do the same! Here is the email address to send your orders or ask questions, info@everybodysbutchery.co.nz.

Good on Everybody's Butchery for keeping good quality meats affordable for everyone! Thanks Lisa.

Cocoa Nut Balls

Inspired by the "original Frooze Balls - Raw Energy Snacks", these Cocoa Nut Balls are an awesome little treat that will keep you going! They are simple to make and taste great.

These are gluten and grain free. Also dairy free.

Cocoa Nut Balls

Makes 25-30, depending on the size you want.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of dates, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes, then drained

1 cup cashew pieces, raw

1 cup sliced almonds, raw

1 cup desiccated coconut

1/4 cup 100% cocoa powder

1/4 cup coconut oil

Method:

Mix all ingredients in the whizz or blender and combine well. Whizz for a few minutes.

Squeeze and roll into balls of desired size.

Store in fridge until ready to eat :)

Consume with care, there are a few dates in these - treat as a treat!

                  Simple Tasty Nutrition (c) 2014

Mini Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

The chocolate muffin recipe as requested! I suggest doubling it for normal sized muffins :) Great served with raspberries and cream, yogurt or coconut cream. Oh and a little bit warm..... Yummy!

2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
2-3 tablespoons honey (these aren't very sweet so if you are new to Paleo go 3)
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
5 teaspoons cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix wet ingredients together then add dry ingredients. Mix well.

Bake 15-20mins at 180 degrees. 

                   Simple Tasty Nutrition (c) 2013

Who doesn't like a good date scone?

I like creating my own muffin recipes and sometimes they don't work out the best. But these ones are pretty good, they are light and tasty like caramel. In fact, they taste a bit like a good date scone! And who doesn't like a good date scone :-)

These muffins are Paleo friendly , gluten and dairy free, with only dates and banana to sweeten.
A great breakfast or snack on the go.

Banana Date Paleo Muffins 

Ingredients:

2 bananas mashed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup almond flour
5 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
10 dates chopped
1/4 cup melted butter (or coconut oil)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Mix together wet ingredients, except for the melted butter.
Add dry ingredients and dates, then mix well.
Fold in melted butter.
Place in 12 small muffin tins.
Bake 20-25 mins.

2013 (c) Simple Tasty Nutrition

Cheat days - A good or bad idea?

Cheat days! These are often something I hear people talk about when they trying to eat a Paleo diet. And whilst the concept sounds like a good, 'eat good all week and then on Sunday have a congratulations you did well total food blow out', I am here to tell you that cheat days are a bad idea.

Here is TWO reasons why:

First, eating real food, clean food, Paleo, Primal - whatever you want to call it, is not a diet. It's a lifestyle choice you have made because it makes you look, feel and perform better. Psychologically you will screw everything up if once a week it's perfectly acceptable to eat crap food. You have sabotaged yourself and subconsciously told yourself you have failed. You are also reinforcing that eating crap food is okay, which you know it isn't otherwise you wouldn't be here in the first place.

Now don't get me wrong - having a treat now and then is perfectly acceptable and part of the healthy eating lifestyle. But a set day every week where you can eat your chips, dip and fizzy - ah no, that makes what you are doing a diet and the cheat day some sort of crazy reward. Don't screw up your own psychology and motivation here. Keep it simple - treats are acceptable on occasion, cheat days are not acceptable.

Your goal is to enjoy tasty real foods and develop a healthy psychological relationship with them. If you have a regular cheat day you are constantly reinforcing to yourself that your new eating habits are just a temporary thing. Usually we call this a DIET - and no one likes diets...

Secondly, cheat days tend to involve eating foods that are not within the guidelines of Paleo or clean eating. You must remember why you choose to eliminate these foods in the first place? Because they made you look and feel BAD! Not only that but they cause gut problems but also subsequent inflammation and chronic disease. You need to eat very little of these foods to have problems for days after they are consumed, so your cheat day on Sunday could still be affecting you the following Saturday AND GUESS WHAT?? Tomorrow you get another cheat day, yippee! Consequently, you may as well just eat your cheat foods all the time because the health affects are the same.

There are plenty of treats out there which are Paleo or Primal compliant. For example, making some Paleo muffins or Paleo chocolate. 

I don't think I need to go on too much more because I think those two points cover the main reasons why I think cheat days are BAD. Obtaining your health and fitness goals means setting realistic goals and consistently achieving them. If you don't think you can go 100% with Paleo eating, start at 60% and work your way up to 90-95%. Set yourself up to succeed from the beginning :-)