While working on the recipe section tonight I was compiling some kid-friendly, gluten free lunch ideas and I ran across this one I had saved from the Washington Post some time ago. It’s a great option for a cold lunch and the plantains make for a delish and healthy addition with the black beans. Plantains have a heart healthy combo of nutrients, including vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. They also contain resistant starch, which acts as a prebiotic, selectively nourishing the “good gut” bacteria that line the intestinal tract and protect against food borne illness. Yummy and good for us- yay! 🙂

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I completely admire people who can cook; while I LOVE food, I sadly didn’t inherit the cooking gene so I default to recipes by those uber-talented folks I’ve discovered online. So today I share with you a recipe I ran across from a fellow Paleo girl. It looks divine and I’m hoping I can convince my hubby to make it for us this weekend 🙂 Thanks to Girlmeetspaleo for this inspired dish!

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For today’s Inspired Bite I chose a recipe from The Mayo Clinic which happens to include the nutritional details as well. While I don’t typically concentrate on those aspects as I feel like they work themselves out when you’re following a Paleo or Primal Blueprint lifestyle, I went ahead and included them in case it’s helpful. I love salmon and find it to be an easy, super healthy option packed with healthy Omegas, and while this recipe calls for lemon, I often pair mine with a mango or other fruit based side to complement the salty/fishy flavor.

 Enjoy!

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For those of you following a gluten free and paleo diet, the occasional comfort food meal is encouraged, so long as you stick to the healthy Paleo guidelines. So when I saw this post on Cavegirl Cuisine’s site for a gluten free, paleo eggplant recipe, I had to share it. Our version is slightly modified, but you can see her original version here

What I love about this recipe is the almond meal which helps the eggplant maintain a crunchy, fried, aspect to it, even though it’s baked.  So you can enjoy this guilt-free, delish version of a formerly unhealthy meal! 

Paleo “Fried” Eggplant Marinara (on a bed of greens)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Paleo “Fried” Eggplant Marinara (on a bed of greens)

Ingredients

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 1 cup marinara sauce or fresh diced tomatoes
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 cups of greens (I used arugula)
  • 1T macadamia nut oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Peel eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch rounds.
  4. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl.
  5. Place almond meal in another bowl.
  6. Dredge each eggplant round in the eggs and then coat with the almond meal on each side.
  7. Place on the parchment paper
  8. Repeat for all of the eggplant.
  9. Drizzle or mist the oil over the coated rounds.
  10. Salt and pepper lightly.
  11. Cook for 30 minutes.
  12. In the meantime, place a cup of greens on each plate.
  13. Divide the cooked eggplant among the plates.
  14. Put a 1/4 cup of marinara sauce or fresh tomatoes over the top of each serving. Enjoy!
http://inspiredeats.net/paleo-fried-eggplant-marinara-on-a-bed-of-greens/


For those of us following the Paleo or Primal Blueprint diets, pancakes are a thing of the past, right?

At least, that’s what I thought until I ran across this recipe on Mark’s Daily Apple. It’s definitely more carb-centric than much of what he suggests but as he states many times, those of us following the Primal Blueprint can allow for an indulgence now and then and still keep on track with our goals for health, wellness, weight loss, etc. That said, this is a delish and healthy indulgence and one I’m excited to make again this weekend. I hope you enjoy it too!

 

Paleo ‘Pancakes’

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 pancakes

Paleo ‘Pancakes’

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 1-2 Tbs almond butter
  • fresh blueberries
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 tsp. coconut oil

Instructions

  1. Mash the bananas, add the egg and mix well.
  2. Stir in the almond butter, adding more than a tablespoon if you want a more pancake-like texture.
  3. Warm the coconut oil in a pan and pour batter into small cakes.
  4. Brown on each side and serve warm topped with fresh blueberries.
  5. Enjoy!!
http://inspiredeats.net/paleo-pancakes/

 

 

A friend sent me this recipe from Kitchen Addiction as a great idea for a sweet/salty treat, and suggested they would make nice home-made gifts too, and I have to admit that home-made gifts have that special touch store-bought gifts can lack and I personally love a home-made gift.  You can wrap them in some cellophane and use a simple ribbon to tie them, or give them in decorative tins, but whatever you do, be sure to share these and you’ll win big points as these are DELISH! 

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Gluten free, dairy free and packed with flavor, almond flour scones!

These amazingly delicious dark chocolate scones are a hit with our non gluten-free friends as well, so you can feel confident serving these yummy little morsels of goodness 🙂

They’re easy to prepare and aren’t overly sweet; using agave nectar and organic dark chocolate chunks, these scones are low glycemic and still pack a yummy little chocolate punch! Appropriate for breakfast or desert so go ahead and indulge; your family and friends will love you for these! Since they’re low glycemic I don’t mind giving this  to our son for dessert, though I don’t make a habit out of it – always striving for balance, right?

Gluten-free chocolate chip scones

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

Yield: 16 scones

Gluten-free chocolate chip scones

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup coarsely divided dark chocolate chips (70% cocoa)
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup agave nectar
  • ½ cup grapeseed oil

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda and sea salt
  2. In a smaller bowl, combine egg, grapeseed oil and agave
  3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
  4. Once blended, add chocolate chunks
  5. drop ¼ cup round dough onto greased cookie sheet
  6. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes
  7. Let cool for approximately 30 minutes
  8. Serve and enjoy!
http://inspiredeats.net/glutenfreescones/