Sweet Potato & Choc-Chip Muffins – Paleo Treats
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 it's 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!
Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins
These nutrient-dense muffins combine the sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes with the warmth of cinnamon and the indulgence of dark chocolate chips. Perfect for a paleo-friendly treat that the whole family will enjoy.
Servings: 8 Muffins
Calories: 250kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- Muffin tray
- Paper or silicon muffin cases
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups roasted sweet potato mashed and left to cool
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup raw organic honey
- 2 heaped tbsp ground flaxseed
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 100 g 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
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Line an 8-hole muffin tray with paper or silicon cases.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a bowl, combine the sweet potato mash with the coconut oil, eggs, almond milk, and honey. Whisk together until smooth.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Combine Ingredients: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to make a batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the Muffin Cases: Pour the muffin batter into the cases, filling to about 2/3 of the way up.
- Bake: Bake on the top shelf of your oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Ensure the sweet potato is fully cooled before mixing to avoid cooking the eggs prematurely.
- Use dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa for a richer flavour.
- These muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
5 Ways to Add More Coconut Oil to Your Diet
You know the health benefits of coconut oil by now. It’s loaded with MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides) and is a wonderful source of healthy saturated fat. It’s antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-fungal, is excellent at improving gut health and even boosts your metabolism. There’s also a lot of research indicating it’s great for dementia/ Alzheimer's patients.
If you’re not the greatest fan of eating it by the spoonful (personally, I love nothing better, but we’re all different!), then it can be tricky getting copious amounts of the stuff into your diet. I get a lot of emails from people really keen to consume it – but who hate the flavour. Whilst you can get refined coconut oil, with none of the taste, it is a refined product – far better to go for the purest oil you can find.
If you’re looking to up your intake of coconut oil in a delicious way, then check out some of the great ideas below.
- Bulletproof coffee – I've covered Bulletproof Coffee before as it is a fabulous way to enjoy the saturated goodness of coconut oil in liquid form. To make a DIY Bulletproof coffee, put a generous spoonful of coconut oil into a black coffee, and enjoy the creamier, mellower beverage it creates. Bulletproof coffee is also a proven energy boost and is a great start to the day if you are practising intermittent fasting.
- Coconut oil chocolate – who doesn't love chocolate!? Home made chocolate bites are a fantastic way to get a little more coconut oil in your life. Simply melt down 1 tbsp coconut oil, and mix in 1 tsp cacao powder and half a teaspoon of raw honey. Leave this to set in the freezer for 20 minutes, and you’ll have a delicious block of coconut oil chocolate to enjoy! It’s extra tasty with a couple of chopped macadamias or goji berries thrown into the mix too.
- Smoothies – if you’re making smoothies, why not add an extra dose of healthy fats by adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to the blender? You won’t notice the taste, but it will add a subtle creaminess to the mix.
- Roasted Veggies – As one of the healthiest oils to roast with, coconut oil is a fantastic choice for tossing your favourite veggies in before roasting. It’s flavourless when used in this way, so works brilliantly if you’re adding herbs and spices to the mix. My favourite mix is sweet potato and delicata squash, tossed in a generous amount of melted coconut oil then sprinkled with cinnamon, rosemary, thyme and black pepper. Delicious!
- Paleo baked goods – I'm not the biggest fan of Paleo baking, but when the occasion arrives, you could do a far lot worse than using generous amounts of coconut oil to make super moist muffins or melt in the mouth cookies.
These are just a few tasty ways to ramp up your coconut oil intake. Have I missed any?
Can Eating a Paleo Diet Help With Arthritis?
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by a reader whether adopting a paleo diet would help with their mother’s Arthritis – not having any experience of Arthritis myself, what better way to find out more than to post the question on the Paleo Network’s Facebook page? With almost 60,000 fans, there were a lot of responses, some of which you can read below…
From those who know…
A lot of people responding seem to suffer from Arthritis (or similar conditions) themselves, or had experience to share from family members:
- I suffer with Osteoarthritis and seem to be really good eating Paleo.. When I get off track I know about it.
- Bread and rice would have put me in a wheelchair eventually if I'd allowed it … Go paleo but strictly speaking only three months strict paleo cured me and eternal bone broth thereafter
- I know someone who quit gluten for unrelated reasons and it helped arthritis a lot.
- Take gluten out of diet. I had crippling fibromyalgia until realised it was coeliac disease
- I have fibromyalgia, which is another inflammation-induced disease, and I definitely notice a huge difference in my pain levels & joint stiffness when I am following Paleo more strictly. Gluten is horrible for autoimmune diseases.
- I have osteoarthritis and the Paleo Lifestyle has truly helped a lot. My nutritionist told me it would!
- You have nothing to lose by trying it….my sister has seen her inflammation dramatically reduced the last two weeks on Paleo. She couldn't close her hand in the morning….now she can and no pain….go for it.
- I too have fibromyalgia and have had amazing improvement after 20+ years of suffering.
- Definitely try gluten free and work your way to paleo. I was diagnosed with arthritis and fibromyalgia. Was on methotrexate and enbrel…I went gluten free and was feeling better within a week! Now I am paleo! No more doctors and no more drugs!!
- Absolutely it would help! I had inflammation in my hip so bad that I could barely walk in the mornings. After 3 months paleo – no pain, inflammation gone and no migraines either (which I had been getting on a regular basis for 10years) arthritis is caused by inflammation so it is soooo worth a try for her!
- I have arthritis in my knees, I need knee replacement surgery. I also have degenerative disc disease. The x ray of my back looks like a train with the cars off the track. At the urging of my chiropractor I began my journey into Paleo. My pain levels on the scale of 1-10, 1 being less 10 being most, are down from 10+ to 0 to 2 on the average day. I would say it works for arthritis…
- I found paleo whilst looking to help my arthritis. I've got inflammatory arthritis and since going paleo it's 90% better. No more NSAID's since week two. Been over a year now.
- Get rid of gluten! My joint pains stopped when I went wheat free.
- I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I started eating Paleo during the Lurong Challenge…and I've noticed a huge difference in how I feel and in my mobility…get off the refined carbs!
- I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and was in terrible pain. I am drug and pain free and in remission 2.5 yrs Paleo now.
- The reason I'm Paleo is because of arthritis.. Pain-free now!!
- I suffer from Psoriatic Arthritis. Paleo has decreased my pain immensely. Avoid glutens & refined sugars. It has blown my mind how different I feel, and the weight loss makes it even better!! Not a “diet”…it's a lifestyle change.
- Yes! I had limited movement in my left arm. Been to physio, rheumatologist, had cortisone injections and anti-inflammatory pills. I have gone Paleo. Lost over 2 stone in weight and my left arm is now back to normal movement, I can even hook my bra at the back. I put this down to Paleo way of eating. I gave up sugar, gluten, wheat, all processed foods. I only use Coconut Oil and natural fats for cooking. Go on, give it at least 3 months and you ‘will' see/feel different inside and out. Good luck. I only want to share this to help! I also purchased a juicer and I juice lots of veg & fruits.
- YES, YES, YES. I'm 64 and have NO aches and pains now.
- Huge difference wouldn't have believed it till I tried it
- My mum had the same issues with her hands and feet, gave paleo a go and her aches and pains reduced significantly!
- Yes, yes, yes!!! I had years of inflammatory arthritis and no grains and sugars helped tremendously!
- Had tendentious for 10 years,was gone after 1 month of paleo
- Definitely. Arthritis in hands and legs markedly less in just a week. Cured my morning hobble which made me feel way older than my years and was not a very encouraging way to start each day.
Nightshades
Another common theme among those who replied was Nightshades and an autoimmune paleo diet. In many cases it seems following a broad paleo diet is not enough and an autoimmune protocol is needed:
- Depends on the type of arthritis. Mine is autoimmune, and after being Paleo for just three weeks, my joints feel much better than they have in years! I also have more energy than I have in a long time.
- Look at the autoimmune version of paleo which nightshades also contribute to inflammation.
- I did once read that some arthritis sufferers had had a positive effect from excluding nightshades from their diet.
- The autoimmune paleo protocol excludes eggs and nightshades too. When I first went paleo my arthritis wasn't at its worst but stopped with the new diet.
- No nightshades
- I have an autoimmune disease too & eating Paleo has made a massive massive difference!! Started on an autoimmune protocol now so hoping for more benefits
- Go paleo and then beyond with AIP (Auto Immune Paleo), I control my joint pains and whenever I have gluten or nightshades, I flare up really bad so I know the foods I eat is impacting my health directly. Have her keep a small food journal to help her figure out which foods trigger certain responses.
Inflammation
Another popular topic in the arthritis discussion – inflammation:
- Paleo would definitely help! Paleo is an anti-inflammatory diet which really has benefits for arthritic pain. By increasing good fats like avocado, nuts, seeds and cutting out refined oils and carbohydrates we can effectively reduce arthritic pain. Give it a go!
- Paleo works well, eliminating gluten is a big part of it. Reducing the inflammation
- Foods high in flavonoids contribute to inflammation
- Wheat causes inflammations and arthritis is one of them!
Try this…
There were also a lot of suggestions about other things that could help – Turmeric got several mentions:
- Turmeric capsules are pretty good for joints
- Cinnamon and honey in hot water is good for arthritis pain
- Daily bone broth heals achy bones … Home made easy peasy …. Elimination of caffeine too helps dramatically
- Tell her to try ginger more in her diet anti inflammatory
- And fish oils! Lots of them I take 10 x 1000mg every day and if I don't for a couple of days I have hip and knee pain, constantly! I swear by them.
- Lots of salmon! Grass fed beef is high in omega three too!
Does Paleo help with Arthritis?
Judging by all of the responses, it definitely seems like eating paleo could help… My favourite comment sums it up nicely: “Get your mum on board. Tell her to give it a try for a couple of months ‘just to see’. She'll be amazed”
I’d love to continue the discussion – do you have arthritis? Has changing your diet had an impact? Please share your comments below!
Ever Wondered Where Canola’s Grow?
Canola oil, otherwise known as rapeseed oil, is an oil growing in popularity in the Western world due to its supposed ‘healthiness’ as well as the fact that it is cheap to produce, and therefore, consume. Many people who follow conventional wisdom are switching to canola oil as their oil of choice for frying, roasting and baking – but the more you learn about it, the more you realise it really isn't a good choice…
It may seem strange, but the name ‘canola’ actually has no relevance to the plant it is made from whatsoever. In fact, ‘canola’ was a name chosen by the board of the Rapeseed Association of Canada – the ‘Can’ part standing for Canada, and the ‘Ola’ referring to oil. These marketing companies really aren’t geniuses, are they!?
Like any seed oil, rapeseed requires industrial scale processing to be turned into an oil. It is made my heating and then crushing the seed, before refining with hexane, bleaching with clay, and then deodorizing using steam distillation. You wouldn't eat an animal or vegetable that had been refined, bleached, and deodorized, so why should your oil be any different? We are all wise enough to know by now that ‘refined’ is a word that is most definitely doesn't fit the Paleo blueprint.
Canola oil is marketed as a ‘healthy’ product because it is low in saturated fat. We know by now that saturated fat isn't a bad thing – nope, quite the opposite. Saturated fat provides us with a pure, easy to metabolise form of energy – and that’s why I cook in coconut oil whenever I can. Canola oil also doesn't stand up well to heat, and goes rancid at fairly low temperatures – especially in comparison to stable fats like coconut oil, palm oil and ghee. Canola oil is high in erucic acid, a well known toxin that causes myocardial lipidosis (fatty degeneration of the heart). The majority of Canola oil is also genetically modified to be herbicide resistant.
Canola oil is also marketed as ‘healthy’ because it has a good Omega 3:6 ratio – approximately 2 parts omega 6 to 1 part omega 3. We know that the ideal ratio is 1:1; but, it’s worth holding our hands up and admitting that a 2:1 ratio is pretty good. However, we also know that omega 3s do not stand up well to heat. As Canola oil is processed using high temperatures, the omega 3 turns rancid quickly and is rendered useless – or even worse – toxic. What you are left with is a nasty, omega 6 rich liquid. Oh, and it doesn't even taste good!
The more you learn about Canola oil, the more you realise you are better off without it. It’s not a healthy choice at all, it’s just another product devised by intelligent marketing companies trying to sell a product at the expense of your health.
What are your opinions on Canola oil? Do you use it, or do you prefer olive oil, coconut oil, lard and ghee?
