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Recipe: Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I find myself wanting to eat baked goods like muffins, cookies and cakes very rarely now I’m Paleo. There’s always an abundance of ‘real food’ like meats, veggies, eggs, fruit and nuts sitting in my fridge, and nine times out of ten I will always go for something from this list rather than starting a batch of Paleo brownies or cupcakes. There are times, however, when the aspiring chef within you wants to make a sweet treat for the whole family; but its often a battle finding a recipe that is full of goodness.

These sweet potato muffins are one of the exceptions to the rule. They pack in a ton of goodness from the nutrient dense eggs, coconut flour, flaxseed and the sweet potatoes themselves. The sweet potato and cinnamon combination is divine, and the chocolate chips add an extra bit of indulgence. Give them a try – you won’t be disappointed!

 Makes 8

Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins Ingredients:

  •  1.5 cups roasted sweet potato, mashed and left to cool
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3rd cup raw, organic honey
  • 2 heaped tbsp. ground flaxseed
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • 100g dark chocolate chips (at least 70%) or a 100g bar of dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp gluten free baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

 Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins How To:

1)            Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Line an 8 hole muffin tray with paper or silicon cases.

2)            In a bowl, combine the sweet potato mash with the coconut oil, eggs, almond milk and honey. Whisk together until smooth.

3)            In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, before folding into the wet ingredients to make a batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4)            Pour the muffin batter into the cases, filling to about 2/3rds of the way up. Bake on the top shelf of your oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe paleo sweet treat dessets cake-min

Spicy Coconut King Prawns paleo recipe seafood-min

Recipe: Spicy Coconut King Prawns

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This recipe works great with beautifully fresh, large king prawns. Ideally, have them already cooked, but if you need to cook them yourself then allow them to cool down before you start this recipe. Remember, when buying prawns with the shell on, you’ll have to account for the weight lost when everything is peeled off. Double measurements will be required!

Spicy Coconut King Prawns Ingredients:

  • 500g King Prawns, cooked and peeled
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3cm ginger, grated
  • 1 medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped
  • 3tsp hot paprika
  • 3tsp garam masala
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 300ml tomato passata
  • 50g coconut cream
  • Large handful of fresh coriander
  • Handful coconut shavings
  • Coconut oil

Spicy Coconut King Prawns How To:

1)     Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, and brown the onions. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes to soften. Add the paprika, garam masala and lime juice, and sweat for another 2 – 3 minutes.

2)     Add the passata along with the prawns, stir, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream to thicken, adding more if required.

3)     Serve with the fresh coriander and coconut shavings on top.

Spicy Coconut King Prawns paleo recipe seafood-min

Recipe paleo Mango, Passion Fruit and Coconut Smoothie-min

Recipe: Mango, Passion Fruit and Coconut Smoothie

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Start the day like you’re on a tropical island! Smoothies are quick and easy to make – perfect for a grab and go breakfast. Make sure your coconut milk is as pure as you can find it – check the ingredients!

Smoothie Ingredients:

  • 1 mango, peeled and chopped
  • 100ml coconut milk
  • Juice of half a lime
  • Juice of two oranges
  • 2 passion fruit

Smoothie How To:

1)     Split the passion fruit in half and squeeze into a sieve. This way you catch all the delicious juices, but none of the crunchy seeds (which don’t work that well in a smoothie!)

2)     Add all of the ingredients to the blender with a  handful of crushed ice if you have some to hand. Blitz for a good 2 – 3 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

Recipe paleo Mango, Passion Fruit and Coconut Smoothie-min

Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons paleo dessert sweet treat snack primal gluten free sugar free-min

Recipes: Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

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Let’s face it; sometimes, we all crave a bit of chocolate. Even we Paleo folk have our weaknesses. Fortunately though, our chocolate fixes don’t have to be laden with sugar and dairy. In moderation, raw cacao is extremely healthy, bursting with antioxidants and beneficial phytochemicals. There are loads of different ways you can enjoy it, and for me it's much more delicious than the cheap and nasty stuff people buy stacks of in the supermarket. What better way to enjoy it than as part of some delicious, no bake, easy to make, mini macaroons?

Makes 12

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • ¼ cup Almond Butter
  • ¼ cup Coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 5 tbsp raw cacao powder
  • 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons How To:

Cover a flat baking tray with some baking parchment.

Mash the banana in a large bowl. Whisk in the almond butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla if using to form a paste.

Add the cacao powder to the mix, one spoonful at a time, stirring well.

Stir in the coconut, making sure all the mixture is well combined (I used my hands for this part!). Form the mixture into 12 mini ‘macaroon’ shapes, and place on top of the baking parchment.

Leave in the fridge for at least an hour to fully set. If you can’t wait that long, 10 minutes in the freezer is just as good!

Raw Chocolate Coconut Macaroons paleo dessert sweet treat snack primal gluten free sugar free-min

Top ten paleo diet foods list-min

The Top Ten Paleo Diet Foods

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What do you think are the top ten Paleo foods, and why? Here is my list…

Paleo-Diet-Recipe-Primal-The-Top-Ten-Foods-10-min

1. Grass fed beef

Good quality grass-fed beef is a great source of protein, omega 3 and many other nutrients. It’s also extremely versatile; grill it, barbeque it, make it into jerky or grind it into mince beef to use in lots of different meals –using the leftover bones to make a nourishing bone broth.

2. Pastured Chicken

Pastured chicken is delicious as the centre of a roast dinner – and the leftovers make beautiful chicken stock. A great protein source, left over chicken is great to snack on, or turn into curries and soup.

3. Bacon

What list of Paleo foods is complete without bacon? You can even use the remaining fat to cook with.

4. Coconut Oil

As well as being a great oil to cook pretty much anything in, this saturated fat is great on it’s own by the spoonful! Coconut oil is also believed to be a great help with dementia and can even be used on your skin.

5. Avocado

Avocado is a perfect fat source and goes with almost anything. You can even cook it, or use it to make a dessert!

6. Eggs

Not only are eggs a great protein source, they are great for making paleo egg fried rice, filling for breakfast – and easy to hardboil in advance to keep peeled in the fridge as a ready snack.

7. Berries

Berries are relatively low in fructose and a great source of antioxidants.

8. Kale

Kale is a true superfood, as it is packed with magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, C and K, lutein, iron and antioxidants. You can even turn it into kale chips!

9. Onions

Onions are a sulphur rich vegetable (which Dr. Terry Walhs considers important enough to eat three cupful’s worth a day) – and just so incredibly versatile. Whether you’re making a stew – or even an omelette, onions will be a great addition.

10. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a great base for lots of meals – such as beanless chilli – as they lend themselves so readily to sauce.

Do you agree with my list? What would be on your top ten list of Paleo foods?

Paleo green smoothie recipe juice diet-min

Recipe: Green Smoothie

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Now we’re coming into summer, it’s a great time to enjoy an ice cold Paleo Smoothie. Instead of relying on fruit, it’s far better to make green smoothies using vegetables.

Almond butter and coconut milk are great ways to add in some good fat.

Paleo green smoothie recipe juice diet-min

Recipe: Green Smoothie
Recipe type: Drinks
Prep time: 
Total time: 
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A delicious way of getting some sneaky green goodness into your diet
Ingredients
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 8 frozen strawberries
  • 30g (2 tablespoons) almond butter
  • 250ml (1 cup) coconut milk
  • 250g (2 cups) spinach
Instructions
  1. Freeze a (peeled) banana and some strawberries overnight in the freezer.
  2. Put the bananas, strawberries, almond butter and coconut milk in the blender.
  3. Fill the rest of the blender with spinach (kale would also work well, if you can get hold of it!)
  4. Blend, and enjoy!

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Do you often make smoothies? What are your favourite ingredients? Share in the comments below.

Paleo cherry ripe recipe bar chocolate treat homemade-min

Paleo Cherry Ripes

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Cherry Ripes are the oldest chocolate bar in Australia – and hugely popular.

My problem with Cherry Ripes is the ingredients: –

Sugar, Coconut, Glace cherries (cherries, sugar, flavour, colour (129)), Wheat Glucose syrup, Cocoa mass, Sweetened condensed milk (milk concentrate, sugar, lactose), Vegetable fat, Milk solids, Cocoa butter, Cocoa powder, Invert sugar, Gelatine, Emulsifiers (soy lecithin, 476), Flavours, Colours (102, 123), Mineral salt (500). May contain traces of Nuts. Dark Chocolate contains Cocoa Solids 43%.

So whilst they do contain cherries, they aren't fresh cherries, and they come along with sugar, artificial flavours and colours, wheat, “vegetable” fat and soy lecithin; no thanks!

I saw cherries for the first time in the supermarket this morning (summer is well and truly on it's way!), so thought it was about time I made a paleo approved version of Cherry Ripes.

Paleo Cherry Ripes
Recipe type: Desserts
Cuisine: Australian
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Print
Why buy Cherry Ripes when you can make your own, healthy, paleo version?!
Ingredients
  • 150g raw almonds
  • 70g raw pecans
  • 12 medjool dates
  • 175g fresh cherries (weighed with stones)
  • 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • a pinch of salt
  • 30g shredded coconut
  • paleo cherry ripe ingredients-min
Instructions
  1. I put the nuts in my blender with the salt and blended until most of the big pieces had ground down.
  2. I set the nuts aside and then removed the stones from the cherries and dates.
  3. I then blended the cherries, dates and oil before adding this paste to the ground nuts, along with the shredded coconut.
  4. I then mixed everything together thoroughly into a ball and rolled it out between two pieces of grease proof paper.
  5. I put the rolled out mixture in the fridge for half an hour, before cutting it into cherry ripe length strips.
  6. paleo cherry ripes-min

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Whilst dates are natural “sugar bombs”, my paleo cherry ripes have no added sweeteners.  As an occasional treat these are a much better alternative – and I happen to think far tastier!

I'd love to hear what you think!

Paleo cherry ripe recipe bar chocolate treat homemade-min

The-Easiest-Strawberry-Coconut-Ice-Cream-Ever-recipe-paleo-dairy-free-min

The Easiest Strawberry & Coconut Ice Cream Ever!

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It’s been a lovely sunny weekend – and what better way to end a Sunday than with ice cream?

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
The Easiest Strawberry & Coconut Ice Cream Ever!
Recipe type: Desserts
Prep time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
Instructions
  1. It takes just a couple of minutes to prepare this ice cream.
  2. Throw a couple of handfuls of frozen strawberries into the blender and add a whole tin of coconut cream.
  3. Blend the mixture, leaving a few small pieces of strawberries intact.
  4. Pour the mixture into a dish, sprinkle with shredded coconut and put in the freezer for a couple of hours.
  5. How easy is that?

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I don’t think this needs any extra sweetness, as the strawberries are sweet enough.  This ice cream has the same texture as a shop-bought ice cream, yet it won’t cause the same spike in blood sugar levels.

The-Easiest-Strawberry-Coconut-Ice-Cream-Ever-recipe-paleo-dairy-free-min

Which coconut milk brand should you buy best ingrediants-min

Which Coconut Milk Should I Buy in NZ & Australia?

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The more I’ve got into my Paleo lifestyle, the more coconut milk I’ve been consuming.  I’ve been able to find a few different brands, which all vary in ingredients & cost.

Which coconut milk brand should you buy best ingrediants-min

This post will show you the main brands available, where to get them, and which are the most paleo friendly.  If you find any other brands, please send me the details so I can include them.

Avoid the “light” and “reduced fat” versions and go for the brand with the simplest ingredients.  Make sure there are no added sweeteners.  I always try to go for the Ayam brand as the label shows it contains just coconut and water!

You can also use Coconut cream in much the same way.  It is essentially the same as coconut milk – just without as much water, making it a lot thicker. You could always water it down yourself.

Prices seem to vary a lot, so I tend to stock up when there’s an offer on.

Ayam Coconut Milk (Available in Coles & Woolworths & smaller grocers)

Ingredients:  Coconut Kernel Extract (82%), water

Ayam Coconut Cream (Available in Coles & Woolworths & smaller grocers)

Ingredients:  Coconut Kernel Extract (100%)

Coles Smart  Buy Coconut Cream  (Available in Coles)

Ingredients: Coconut Milk (60%), Water, Thickener (466), Vegetable Gum (412)

Pandaroo Coconut Milk (Available in Woolworths)

Ingredients: Coconut Extract (45%), Water, Emulsifier, E412, E435  

TCC Coconut Milk  (Available in Coles & Woolworths & smaller grocers)

Ingredients: Coconut Extract (53%), Water, Antioxidant (Citric Acid)

 

Woolworths Select Coconut Milk (Available in Woolworths)

Ingredients: To be confirmed (it doesn't seem to be in stock at the moment)

Trident Coconut Milk (Available in Woolworths and Coles)

Ingredients: Coconut Milk (52%), Water, Stabiliser (466)

Trident Coconut Cream (Available in Woolworths and Coles)

Ingredients: Coconut Cream (52%), Water, Stabiliser (466)

Kara Coconut Milk (Available in Asian Grocers)

Ingredients:  Fresh coconut extract (55%), Water, Stabilizer E466, Thickener E415, Emulsifier E435

 

What am I missing?  Have you got some other brands in your part of Australia or NZ?

Check back tomorrow to find out more about those added ingredients and whether we should be eating them…