Lessons in Paleo

I can’t believe how fast the 2 weeks of Paleo went!! I actually finished it a week ago but with so much uni work and events happening I haven’t been able to tell you how it went. What I can say is I loved it :)

I love the simplicity of the meals with wholesome clean foods, yet at the same time you can always put the effort in to make something fancy! Or even turn fancy meals into simple meals. Meals are clean, grain free, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, full of fresh and raw fruits and vegetables and basically I felt like new!

Well maybe one day soon I will literally be on top of a mountain... ;)

It was a big learning curve to see what classes as Paleo and what doesn’t and you soon realise that so many foods are a mixture of paleo and non-paleo it can sometime be hard to eat only paleo unless you are making the meal yourself. My biggest challenge was heading home to my family and having meals with them. It is hard to turn down your mothers glorious home cooked meals because it has potato, rice or a little dairy in it! So in the end my 2 weeks were about 90% Paleo which I feel was still a success :)

I learnt so much about cooking different foods and particularly my love of baking, using different flours and how more fulfilling meals with higher protein content (not just quick absorbing protein powders) can be to sustain you throughout the day AND reduce those sugar cravings by regulating your daily sugar levels. I wasn't afraid of the many good fats in my foods, these are essential for my body growth and repair, the only bad fats are those in refined and packaged foods, those which are not clean and wholesome. But in reality we all need a little indulgence in some bad fats from time to time, how do we know what it really feels like to be clean and inspire others if we don't?

There is a bit of scrutiny out there about ‘not eating carbs’ following Paleo. Carbs are particularly important when you are busy and exercising to keep you fuelled for the days ahead. In all honestly I still felt I ate lots of carbs! Having paleo pancakes for breakfast every day and loading up on sweet potato, pumpkin, parsnip and other vegetables, paleo baking using coconut flour, seeds and nuts, yes these are not your typical pasta’s and refined grains but they are more wholesome sources of carbohydrates with a greater range of nutrition. You just need to learn to adjust your food pyramid to get carbs from the right foods.

Other people have said Paleo is too expensive. I spent about $80 for the 2 weeks including treating myself to 2 nights of salmon. I admit I am only a small female and wouldn’t eat nearly as much as muscular men but I can still put away a bit of food! As all food planning goes it is about… planning! Making a menu for the week ahead and budgeting, you don’t have to spend your money on expensive salmon or steaks, buy local and look out for weekly bargains, shop smart and a big tip, use your leftovers! :)

Here are some tips from Paleo Living:

• Enjoy eating paleo. Enjoy what you eat. If you are unhappy with what you are eating you are unlikely to continue to keep eating that way, and once the nutrition is gone, staying fit and healthy becomes much harder.
• Pre-cook food. Spend a few hours at the beginning of the week and cook big batches of food. This will allow you to minimise the amount of time that you have to spend cooking during the week.
• Cook more that you need. This is similar to the previous tip, the idea being that if you cook more than you need for one meal then you can eat it later, or the next day.
• Rather than cutting yourself off from all of those foods which you enjoy that aren’t 100% paleo friendly, simply eat smaller amounts and be moderate.
• Do not keep junk/unhealthy food that you know you shouldn’t eat, in the house. For most people, if it is in the house they will eventually eat it.... I am a culprit of this!!
• Do not run out of food. This is horrible. Do not let it happen to you.
• Try planning out your meals for a week. This comes easily to type one personalities, for the rest of us it can be a nuisance. Though this has the benefit of ensuring you know what you need in the house for the week, and eliminates that time wasting period during which you try and figure out what you should cook for dinner.
• Keep a handy meal replacement shake/can of tuna in your car/office/desk/bag for a paleo friendly snack in case plans change.
• Learn to use spices; this will do wonders for you and will offer variety and different flavors to your meals.
• Eat lots of vegetables; try and eat a good variety with many different colours.

Although my 2 weeks has gone, I find myself still making conscious decisions about eating meals as closest to paleo as I can and have loved my paleo pancakes or eggs for breakfast! I have excitedly been looking up pumpkin porridge, paleo muesli and so many other recipes for breakfast as well as salads for lunch, paleo sushi and new dinners to try! Not to mention paleo baking ;) So apart from raw foods my new love now includes paleo foods as well.

 

Did someone say pancakes??

There is so much experimenting and learning to do with nutrition and I love it, there is no better way than trying these things yourself and listening to your body. After all our body is the only place we have to live which we carry throughout life, listening to it and treating it well is the best thing we can do, love your body and you will love life :)  

Easy Raw Carrot Cake & Coconut Icing

One thing that I cannot go past in a raw café is raw carrot cake… or raw banoffee pie for that matter! It has been on my list to try for quite a while now, and I can finally say I have made it!! First trial was not as mouth watering as the café raw carrot cake, but after getting a good baseline I have a few ideas of how to make it that little bit more mouth watering next time ;) but this is still a great recipe to try and one of the simpler raw carrot cake recipes I have found :)

Raw Carrot Cake

3 large carrots, peeled and grated
2 cups of walnuts (I mixed walnuts and cashews)
2 cups desiccated coconut
½ cup currants
4 fresh medjool dates pitted and coarsely chopped
¼ cup maple syrup (organic is best or you could use honey here)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Rind of 1 lemon
Rind of 1 orange

Method
Combine walnuts, coconut, cinnamon, ginger in a bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a fine crumb, set this aside.

Combine the grated carrots, dates and maple syrup in a bowl of the food processor and pulse until well blended. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times.

Stir in the carrot mixture with the spice mixture, fold in the lemon and orange rind and the currants.

Line a 30cm loaf pan with baking paper and pour the cake mixture into the pan pressing it down firmly. Smooth the top with a spoon and refrigerate for about 30min.

Coconut Icing

1 ½ cups fresh coconut
½ cup raw cashews
1/4/ cup coconut water from a fresh coconut
1 large lemon juiced and rind grated
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Combine the coconut, cashews in the food processor and process until coconut is chopped and nuts are ground. Add the coconut milk or water and maple syrup and pulse for a few seconds. Add the lemon juice and rind and pulse until smooth.

Invert the cake onto a large platter and remove the baking paper. Spread the icing over the top and chill until the icing hardens. Keep in the refrigerator for freshness!

My cheat icing with no fresh coconut!
I didn't have all the ingredients for the original icing so made my own with a lack of a fresh coconut, it wouldn't be as tasty but still worth it :)
1 cup cashews
1 cup desiccated coconut
Juice of 1-2 lemons plus the rind
1tsp vanilla essence

Process the ingredients until smooth and spread on top of the chilled cake.

This is perfect with a cup of tea, especially my favourite chai :)

 xox

Paleo Lemon & Coconut Bread

While first starting Paleo you usually think 'where are all the carbs??' as you eliminated pasta's, grain and breads, but then you come to realise that apart from filling up with carbs from vegetables such as sweet potato and pumpkin, you are only actually eliminating the gluten based carbs. There are an abundance of Paleo recipes out there for breads and baking and in reality although you may not be use to the different ingredients at first they are quite easy to make!

So I was very exctied when i made my first Paleo bread. It actually turned into Lemon and coconiut bread as I had some delicious home grown lemons from a family friend I wanted to use. I based the recipe from 'Paleo Bread Recipes' and added a ripe banana and although I didn't make the glaze this time I may try it next time :)

 

Paleo Lemon & Coconut Bread

Ingredients

6 eggs
¼ cup coconut oil melted
zest from 2 lemons
juice from 2 lemons plus enough milk of choice (coconut milk from can or box, almond milk, etc.) to equal 1 cup
1 large ripe banana mashed (optional)
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup coconut flour (only coconut flour will work here, organic is best:))
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

Method

Preheat oven to 350.

Zest the lemons and squeeze out the juice, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.

Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 35-45 minutes (mine was perfect at the 35 minute mark, but it may take up to 45 minutes) or until golden on top and middle is cooked through. If the top starts to get too brown towards the end of the cooking time, put some foil over the top.



 

 

Let to cool in the pan before turning it out on a rack to cool further. You can store the cake in the refrigerator to last longer :)

Enjoy!

xox

Raw Chocolate Cake with Raw Strawberry 'icing' (Jam)

I am a sweet tooth, I have no doubt about it! And I love muffins, and cupcakes, and cakes in general. Being on a 2 week Paleo challenge I have resisted the urge to make Paleo muffins also to see if I can resist my baking cravings for at least 2 weeks. I have to admit it has been hard some days and on Day 10 I thought 'why don't I make a raw cake instead??' So I looked through my various (multiple!) recipe collections and found a raw 'flourless chocolate cake'. It was actually easier than I thought and doesn't even require nut soaking time!!

I made a strawberry icing out of chia seeds the same as the raw strawberry jam recipe topped with delicious blueberries... it was a perfect muffin substitute!!

This is the original recipe for a full cake but I made 1/3 of the recipe and it turned into a nice 9x9cm cake 1.5cm thick which has lasted me 3 days :)

Raw Chocolate Cake + Raw Strawberry Icing

Raw Chocolate Cake with Raw Strawberry 'icing' (Jam)

1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans (I used walnuts), unsoaked
Dash of salt
8 pitted medjool dates, unsoaked
1/3 cup unsweetened cacao or carob powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp water
1/2 cup blueberries to garnish (or any berries you like!)

Put the walnuts and salt in a food processor fitted with an S blade and process until finely ground. Add the dates, cacao and vanilla and process until the mixture begins to stick together, I had to add a tsp of water and a hint of cashew milk (I had it on hand). Add the water and process briefly.

Transfer to a serving plate and form into a cake around 15cm in diameter. Really you could make any shape you like, I might make a heart next :)

Decorate as it is with coconut, berries, cinnamon, banana, chocolate sauce, or strawberry icing!!

Raw Strawberry 'Icing'

This is actually a recipe for Raw Strawberry Jam but used as icing for this cake!

1 1/2 cups Sliced Strawberries
4 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
3 Tablespoons Water
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 heaping Tablespoon Raw Honey or Agave

In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds with the water and vanilla. Mix and allow to soak for 20 minutes. Add the chia mixture to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.

Blend until just combined and still a little chunky. Pour into an airtight container and allow to sit in the fridge for about an hour to allow it to firm and gel up a bit more. Keep stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.

The chocolate cake itself will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator or 2 weeks in the freezer but bring to room temperature before serving :)

You could also try moulding half the cake, adding a layer of fruit then the other half of cake on top as a layered chocolate cake.

I will definitely be making this again!! xox

Fennel and Pear Soup

 I don't know about you but until recently I had no idea what a Fennel was!
So when I came across a Fennel and Pear soup, I was curious, not only did I not know what Fennel was but the combination with pear in a soup too? But I love it, believe me when I say it is so good both in taste and in health you have to try it!

Fennel is a highly aromatic and flavoursome herb with culinary and medicinal uses and it is the bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable. The bulb provides support to the liver for cleansing and is regarded as one of the most alkalising foods, great for regulating the acidic foods we consume everyday!

The combination of fennel and pear provides abundance of potassium, the most alkalising of all minerals and helps regulate our body fluids and preventing dehydration at the cellular level. They are also both high in pectin which helps to draw toxins out of the body. The creaminess of the combination and rich flavours makes it hard to believe there is nothing naughty in it at all!

Fennel and Pear Soup

Pear and Fennel soup topped with some asparagus, broccoli and parsnip :)

(Serves 2)

1 large Fennel bulb, trimmed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 1/2 cups (600ml) vegetable stock (the recipe I used had the stock made from 1/2 tsp organic vegetable bouillon powder, but any stock you have will do :))
1 pear, cored and chopped

Slice the fennel into small pieces leaving a few larges pieces to garnish the soup.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic adding 3 tablespoons of the stock when it starts to dry out.

Add the chopped Fennel and another 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock. Then add the pear and remaining stock and bring to the boil. Simmer covered for 40 minutes until the vegetables and pear are tender.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender with the liquid (you can leave some out if you like a creamier soup but I use it all) and blend until smooth.

Serve garnished with the left over fennel and a drizzle of olive oil, or as in the picture above I sometimes add a few different vege's on top, enjoy!!

Paleo Banana Cereal and Paleo Meals Day 3 & 4

Wow I can't believe I am 4 days into Paleo already!! Truth is I am loving it!! I may not be able to experiment with foods as much soon as exams loom closer but for now I am enjoying the challenge of creating and trying new recipes which are healthy, clean, some raw, some cooked and at the moment, Paleo!! But to be honest most foods I am eating for Paleo I would eat anyway, the only difference is I am creating different dairy options for yoghurt and making conscious decisions to reduce refined grains and cereals (which I don't eat so much anyway!) maybe I was meant to be paleo :P Anyway here is a little insight into more Paleo meals...

I made a Paleo Banana Cereal yesterday in a way I hadn't made before and in the oven put some chopped banana which became sort of a creamy caramelised texture, pepitas, walnuts and shredded coconut (really good when baked!)

Cereal in the oven :)

 I then mixed this with blueberries...

 

Added some raw strawberry & cashew yoghurt, cinnamon and a little cashew milk and it was ready to go!

 

My lunches are usually salads, I felt a little creative and made a 'soup salad' with left over fennel and pear soup over fresh kale, mushrooms, avocado and topped with tumeric and raw flaxseed crackers, it was very tasty! I may use soups for dressings more often :)

 

And dinner was one of my favourite... Salmon :) Again with Kale, tomatoes, parsnip, asparagus and mushrooms...

Today I made some great Sweet potato pancakes (this has its own post!!) satisfying my pancake craving yet again. And following a similar theme a tuna salad for lunch with kale, red cabbage, mushrooms and avocado...

Sweet Potato pancakes :)

Tuna & Cabbage salad :)



And dinner, it had been a while since I had the lean meat of kangaroo so made herb and lemon roasted kangaroo with kale, asparagus, parsnip (one of my favourite vegetables along with sweet potato!) and tomatoes :)

 



I hope I am helping you realise how simple and tasty healthy meals can be! Even the pancakes are quite easy and the salads I basically put together with whatever I have in the fridge. Dinners may take 20min to cook but really for a dinner that is almost of quick as Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals! Well Jamie could probably make these in 5 minutes but that is a different story :P

Let's see what the next few days of Paleo bring! :)

xox

Sweet Potato Paleo Pancakes

I have realised I have an addiction to making different flavoured, clean and healthy pancakes! I fell in love with sweet potato pancakes today, a hint of nutmeg in them makes a lovely boost of flavour and these are quite simple to make! I loved having them for breakfast with raw Strawberry-cashew yoghurt topped with banana, coconut and home made chocolate cacao sauce... I didn't want them to end! Good thing I went for a long run beforehand, but you know what I didn't even feel guilty after eating these pancakes because they are actually healthy for you!! No sugar, no butter, no gluten, an extra dose of vegetables... sound too good to be true? Trust me, its not ;)

You can add some extra protein to these by adding 1/2 a scoop of protein powder too!

Sweet Potato Paleo Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2-1 cup cooked sweet potato
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (completely optional)

Method:
Mash potato really well & then combine all other ingredients- ensure its mixed through thoroughly.

Sweet potato

Add egg and other ingredients

Over medium heat, with a little olive oil or coconut oil, cook pancakes for around 2 minutes to desired brownness and flip! They will start to bubble when they first brown :)

Serve with any topping you fancy whether it is more of a sweet banana and berries or more savoury avocado and salmon (drool), the options are entirely up to you and how you feel each day :)

Enjoy!!

I also made these with pumpkin instead of sweet potato and added protein powder and a little cinnamon as well topped with avocado and coconut oil, SOOOOO good! :)

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Also great with some organic maple syrup drizzled on top!

I wonder how many more pancake creations I can come up with before I run out of ideas... ;)

xox

Paleo Banana-Cranberry Pancakes and Paleo Day 2 :)

Pancakes.

Doesn't that word just make your mouth water?? Maybe I am a pancakes fanatic but I am yet to find someone who does not lift up at even the mention of that word! So for breakfast day 2 you can guess what I had for breakfast ;)

After looking over a few recipes I invented one of my own with what ingredients I had and they turned out pretty good! but how can you go wrong with pancakes I am not sure as long as it is cooked in a pan and resembles a cake :P Inspired by my latest Samudra pancakes I made a quick chocolate-coconut sauce to go on top with cranberries and coconut, yum!

Paleo Banana & Cranberry Pancakes

(Serves 1)

1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 banana mashed
2 Tbsp Almond meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp organic maple syrup or agave (if you have it - I didn't)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

Add to a pan heated with a little olive or coconut oil as 1 or 2 pancakes.

Cook until browned around 2-3 minutes (the pancakes will bubbles on top) and flip cooking the other side.

Transfer to a plate. I topped mine with 1tsp of cacao powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon with 1tsp coconut oil and 2 tsp boiling water mixed to make a chocolate sauce topped with dried cranberries and coconut!

You can top these with anything you like, berries are wonderful :)

Bliss!

For lunch I made a large salad with mushroom, tomato, avocado and roasted asparagus and tuna on a bed of kale - yum!

And dinner was Fennel and Pear soup as the night before, so nice on these colder days :)

xox

Strawberry-Cashew Yoghurt Raw!

I thought raw banana ice cream was good, until I made raw strawberry yoghurt!! Once again I am amazed at how simple this is to make in comparison to how healthy and delicious it is. I sure licked the bowl as I made this to make sure I saved every last bit!

 



Strawberry-Cashew Yoghurt - Raw

1/2 cup soak cashews (2+ hours)
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (you can use maple syrup if you have it instead)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Optional - 1 tsp vanilla extract

Simply add all ingredients into a food processor and process for a minute or so until smooth and creamy!



 

Serve with any topping you like, I had coconut and a chopped strawberry on top but would love to have banana, chocolate (cacao) sauce or cinnamon or better still strawberry yoghurt on top of Paleo pancakes!

xox

Cashew Milk

What I love about cashew milk is it is a little easier to make than almond milk and better for being on the go. Why? cashews take 2 hours to soak as oppose to 8-12 hours for almonds and the milk does not necessarily need to be strained as almond milk does. It is so easy and so tasty as an alternative to dairy :)

 

 

Simply soak 1/2 a cup of raw cashews for 2+ hours. I like to rinse off the soaking water, then add the cashews and 1 and 1/2 cups of water to a blender. You can add 1 tsp organic maple syrup of agave if you like.

 

Blend on high speed until smooth and you now have your almond milk! See so easy!

Transfer into storage jars and keep in the fridge for 4 days :)

 

Enjoy in teas, smoothies, on its own or any way you like!