Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these chocolate chip cookies for a get-together at my house last week. A few friends and I meet on Monday nights to watch the Bachelor (guilty pleasure). :) And these were a hit! I took the rest to work, and a few people asked me for the recipe! 

Click here for the recipe I used!

All credit to: Gimme Some Oven 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream together the softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla, and mix until combined, about 1 minute.

Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Fold in (stir in) the chocolate chips by hand until just combined.

Use a large cookie scoop (equivalent to 3 tablespoons) or a spoon to shape the dough into balls, and place them on a parchment-covered baking sheet.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 10-20 minutes. *You could make these much smaller, just reduce the baking time!! 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just set. The centers may look slightly undercooked. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3-4 months.

3-Ingredient Coconut Macaroons

3 egg whites

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut 

**These were best RIGHT after coming out of the oven. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the sugar and egg whites until foamy (I used an electric handheld mixer)

3. Add shredded coconut and stir gently

4. Add mixture to a piping bag or ziploc and drop small macaroons onto baking sheet

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set. 

6. Cook for 10 minutes before serving. 

7. These keep in an airtight container for 4 days. 

recipe copied from: Give Recipe 

White Chocolate Peppermint Oreos

These were the single biggest hit at my coworkers Christmas party!! 

4, 4 oz packs of Bakers white chocolate 

1 package of Oreos 

20 peppermints (or use candy canes!), smashed in a ziplock bag (I used a meat mallet to crush these!) 

Makes about 32 dipped cookies! 

Dip each Oreo in melted white chocolate, scooping it out with a fork, tapping the fork on the outside of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. White still wet, sprinkle  peppermint on top! Let cool on parchment paper for several hours, until set. 

Best Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

I've found the ultimate bread pudding recipe! I will make this one over and over for sure. 

Last Sunday night, for Billie's first night back to life group, the group asked to make his favorite foods. I recommended Italian. I made the bread pudding, which is one of Billie's favorite desserts. The last time I made bread pudding, there was an egg-y taste to it that I did not like. So I tried a new recipe this time. MAJOR success! 

(Adapted from this recipe)

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 lb. of french bread, toasted and cut into cubes
• 1 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Cinnamon 
• 1 egg 
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• pinch of salt 
• 1 T. vanilla 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk 3 eggs, white sugar, 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of butter, and 3 cups of whole milk together, and gently stir in the bread cubes and raisins. Lightly spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until browned and set in the middle, 50-60 minutes; cover the dish with foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let the pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving.
4. For vanilla sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, the flour, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/4 cups of whole milk,and salt together in a heavy saucepan until smooth. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding, or serve on the side in a bowl.

Raw Cacao Avocado Tartlette

I've been wanting to give these little beauties a try, and tonight was the night! 

I bought these 4.75 inch Wilton tart pans from Amazon. This recipe filled 3 pans perfectly.  

Recipe adapted from ElephantasticVegan.com

Crust-- 

1 cup walnuts 

3 T. Shredded coconut, unsweetened 

15 pitted dates 

Filling-- 

1 ripe avocado 

3 T. Honey 

1 tsp. coconut oil, melted 

3. T. Cacao powder (or cocoa powder) 

Topping-- 

2 tsp. shredded coconut 

*raspberries would also be a great topping! 

1. Put all the ingredients for the crust in a  food processor. Blend until the mixture begins to form clumps. 

2. Divide the mixture among the tart pans and press it to the bottom and on the sides using a spoon.

3. Clean the food processor 

4. Mix the avocado, honey, melted coconut oil, and cocoa powder in the food processor. Stop the food processor and scrape down the insides. Process again until smooth. 

5. Add the filling to the crust. Top with shredded coconut. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours for it to harden more. 

Nutrition for 1 tartlette: 

631 calories 

41.1 fat 

63.2 carbs 

10.4 protein 

Raw Vegan Carrot Cake

My friend made this last year, and I really enjoyed it! So I made it for an Easter dinner dessert on Sunday. It was a hit. A sweet, healthy alternative to classic carrot cake. Kinda like a larabar with icing! 

Copied from: http://www.thisrawsomeveganlife.com/2013/03/raw-carrot-cake-with-cashew-cream.html?m=1

*I doubled this recipe to feed more people! It fit into my medium size springform pan! 

Cashew frosting:
2 cups cashews, preferably soaked for a couple hours
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
Water, as needed 

Cake:
2 large carrots, peeled
1 1/2 cups oat flour or buckwheat flour (I put oats in the food processor until fine) 
1 cup dates
1 cup dried pineapple (or more dates)
1/2 cup dried coconut 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Walnuts for garnish! 

To make the frosting: blend all ingredients in your high speed blender until smooth, adding as little water as possible. Taste it - mmm. Put in a bowl and set aside. 

To make the cake: cut the carrots into small chunks. Then throw all the ingredients (including the carrots) in your food processor and pulse until it's all in really small pieces and sticks together. *i had to add a small amount of melted coconut oil to the cake, because it was too dry and crumbly at first. 

Assembly: Press half the cake mix into the bottom of an adjustable spring-form pan, mine was about 6 inches. Then spread on about 1/3 of the frosting. Put it in the freezer until the layer of frosting is hard. Then press on the rest of the cake mix. I let it set in the fridge overnight, then frosted the whole thing, but you can do it right away if you want. Take it out of the pan and use the remaining frosting, cover with whatever garnishes you like. Enjoy!

Chia Seed Pudding

We recently enjoyed this chia seed pudding recipe for dessert at a friends house, and I couldn't wait to try it myself. Perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Copied from: The Food Network (Giada De Laurenttis recipe) 

Ingredients

• 1 cup vanilla-flavored unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup plain low-fat (2 percent) Greek yogurt (I used 0% to cut down on calories)*
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably grade B), plus 4 teaspoons for serving
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

*The 0% Greek yogurt will cause the pudding to be thinner... a little more runny. But we didn't mind that. 

Directions

In a medium bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt until just blended. Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds if they have settled. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Mine was in the frig for about a day and a half.) 

The next day, in a medium bowl, toss the berries with the remaining 4 teaspoons maple syrup. Mix in the almonds.

Spoon the pudding into 4 bowls or glasses; mound the berry mixture on top and serve.

Chocolate Chip Espresso Banana Bread Muffins

My cousin Rachel shared this recipe with me... major winner!

Recipe copied from: PaleOMG

Serves: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 3 brown bananas, mashed
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup almond butter (or other nut/seed butter)
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee grounds (I omitted this)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• ½ cup Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips (I will use 1/3 cup next time)
• organic powdered sugar or powdered maple sugar, to garnish (I omitted this)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin pan with oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together bananas, maple syrup, vanilla extract, eggs, and almond butter.
3. Then add coconut flour, instant coffee, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour mixture into 12 muffin cups and place in oven to bake for 25 minutes.
5. Let cool before removing from muffin cups. Garnish with powdered sugar.

Cinnamon Apple 2-Minute Mug Cake

One Sunday morning, I was craving a muffin-like breakfast. This was quick, easy, and hit the spot.

Copied from: The Paleo Mom

Ingredients (for one cake):

• 1 egg
• 1/2 apple, peeled and cored
• 3 Tbsp almond flour
• 2 Tbsp walnuts
• 1 Tbsp shredded coconut
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch salt

1. Very finely chop apple (I think it’s fastest to just throw it in a mini food processor or Magic Bullet and pulse a few times).  Chop walnuts.
2. Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe mug.  Stir to combine (I like using a fork to really incorporate the egg).
3. Microwave on high for between 1 minute 45 seconds and 2 minutes (less if you have a high powered microwave, more if you have a lower powered microwave).
4. Enjoy! (fire in the fireplace optional)

Caramel Pecan Pie Bars

I had my mind set on pecan pie bars for the Halloween party, which is so random! Well these were a MAJOR success.

In my humble opinion, regular pecan pie filling is very corn syrup-y. So I prefer caramel as a filling. It was difficult to find a caramel pecan bar that didn't also have chocolate. (Not that I'm against chocolate!) But I combined a couple internet recipes to make these little winners. 

So if you're looking for a healthy holiday dessert..................... These aren't the ones. (Chuckle) 

Crust--- 

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of margarine

Filling---

40 caramels (about 1 package) 

1/2 cup butter 

1/2 cup water

1.5 cups sugar 

4 large eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt 

 2-2.5 cups coarsely chopped pecans or pecan halves, toasted

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13. (I baked mine in a jelly roll pan but it was too small! My filling was running over the side.) 
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Cut in 1 cup of margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared pan, and press in firmly. *when I made these a second time in the 9x13, I didn't use all of the filling. I had about 3/4 cup left over. You can eyeball it and decide how much crust you want! 
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. 
5.  Combine caramels, butter, and 1/2 cup water in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until caramels and butter are melted; remove from heat. 
6. Stir together sugar and next 3 ingredients.
7.  Stir into caramel mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans. 
8. Pour into prepared crust.
9. Bake at 350 for 33-36 minutes, until inside no longer wiggles. 
10. Let cool before cutting. If difficult to cut, try refrigerating it before cutting. That makes for a bit cleaner cut. 

Paleoista Truffles

I made a batch of these beauties to have for Halloween so I won't feel (as) tempted to eat all the candy we'll be passing out! :)

Copied from: Paleoista

Raw Paleo Truffles
 ½ cup raw cacao nibs, ground, plus a little extra for dusting (I used cacao powder from TJ Maxx)
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup coconut butter
¼ cup creamy roasted almond butter
¼ cup honey

-Combine cacao, coconut oil, coconut butter, almond butter & honey.
-Stir ingredients until well combined
-Place bowl in freezer for 10 mins
-Roll into 1 inch balls
-Roll in the extra ground nibs or shredded coconut
-Place in tiny foil candy cups and then into a box for presentation

*Mine were very liquidy since I softened the coconut oil and almond butter, so I had to keep them in the freezer longer, stirring every few minutes. The truffles aren't perfectly round and pretty, but the shredded coconut covers that up. Plus no one cares, because they're rich and amazing! 

Paleo Pumpkin Crumble Bars

Not the best picture, but my co-workers ate them up!!!

Fall is my absolute favorite. I love fall food... soup, chili, pumpkin spice lattes. I love fall weather. 50 degrees, come soon! I love fall clothes... boots, jeans, and long sleeve shirts. and I LOVE fall decor. Pumpkins, leaves, and wreaths. I bought some jarred pumpkin from the Amish market, so I thought I could justify cooking a pumpkin dessert. Even if it IS still 90 degrees. :)

 Recipe copied from: Beauty and The Foodie

Magical Paleo Pumpkin Crumble Bars:

• ⅓ cup coconut flour, sifted
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp sea salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ⅓ cup pumpkin puree (make sure pumpkin is the only ingredient)
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 3½ tbsp unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or dairy butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp baking soda + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, mixed in a separate pinch bowl (will be very fizzy)

• Crumble Topping:
• ⅓ cup almond flour/meal or pecan meal (grind up raw almonds or pecans in a magic bullet or coffee grinder until course, grained meal forms) or can purchase
• 3 tbsp unsweetened organic coconut flakes.
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 2 ½ tbsp coconut oil or dairy butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 350 F, and grease or oil an 8x8 pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine: ⅓ cup sifted coconut flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ⅛ tsp sea salt. Mix together thoroughly. Set aside.
3. In a different large mixing bowl combine: 2 eggs, 3½ tbsp almond or coconut milk, ⅓ cup pumpkin puree, 2 tbsp melted coconut oil or butter, ⅓ cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix together until combined. Add the baking soda –vinegar mixture to the egg mixture. Mix together thoroughly.
4. Add coconut flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until combined.
5. Pour and spread batter into greased 8x8 pan, and set aside.
6. In a medium mixing bowl combine all the crumble topping ingredients, use a fork to mix topping until a paste forms.
7. Take the crumble topping and scatter chunks of crumble topping all over the top of the pumpkin batter in the pan, *seen in photo above*.
8. Bake at 350 F for 28 to 30 minutes or until top is browned, and toothpick comes out of center clean.
9. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for one hour or longer (this sets the pumpkin layer).
10. Cut into 9 medium size bars and serve.

Notes

Nutritional Data: Serving: 1 medium size bar out of 9, Cal:163, Fat: 9.8 g, Carbs: 12 g/ Net Carbs: 9.4 g, Fiber: 2.6 g, Protein: 3 g, Sugar: 8 g.


*Nutritional data is an estimate based on the products I used.*

Real Deal Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

From the things I've read and heard, these are the mother of all paleo chocolate chip cookies. I couldn't wait to make them for my friend's birthday last week. The recipe did NOT disappoint. Even my non-paleo co-workers asked for the recipe!

Real-Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies

AUTHOR: Danielle Walker - AgainstAllGrain.com
SERVES: 1 dozen

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup palm shortening, ghee, or grass-fed butter (I used Kerrygold butter)
• ¼ cup coconut palm sugar (I buy this at TJ Maxx for $3.99)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1½ cups blanched almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup dark chocolate pieces (just chop up a dark chocolate bar)
• ¼ cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (dairy and nut free)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, cream the palm shortening, coconut sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla for about 15 seconds until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and sea salt and mix again until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed in order to incorporate all of the flour. Pulse once or twice more.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
5. Place golf-ball sized balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a SilPat. Using another sheet of parchment on top of the dough, flatten them slightly with the palm or your hand or a spatula. The cookies don’t spread much so create the size and thickness you want prior to baking them.
6. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until slightly golden around the edges.

Piña Colada Smoothie

Picture borrowed from http://draxe.com/recipe/pina-colada-smoothie/

Quite possibly the BEST smoothie I have ever had. 

Copied from Dr. Axe's website:

"Coconut is a medium chain fatty acid which is easily digested and converted to energy instead of being stored as fat. It is extremely diverse and one of the healthiest foods you could eat! Try this Piña Colada Smoothie Recipe and indulge in the benefits of coconut!"

Ingredients

• 10 oz. coconut milk (I used canned)
• 1-2 raw eggs
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 C fresh or frozen pineapple
• 1/2 banana
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp ground chia seed
• (I added ice because my pineapple wasn't frozen!)

Directions

1. Combine the ingredients in a high-speed blender. 

Makes 2 servings.

Vanilla Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes (Paleo-ish)

I'm going to Ben and Louise's for a burger cookout tonight. I thought these little beauties would be a perfect dessert. 

It's kosher to taste-test before serving to other people, right?? Right. :)

Copied from: Dr. Axe's website

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I think you could use shredded as well)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 whole strawberries
• 2 cups whipped coconut cream** (see note below)

 Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
3. Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Add the coconut separately.
4. Separate the yolk from the whites of 2 of the eggs. Set the egg whites aside.
5. Combine 3 whole eggs, two egg yolks, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and lemon juice with a hand mixer. Be careful that you don’t over mix.
6. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry mixture and wet mixture in alternate batches until the batter has no lumps.
7. In a small bowl beat the egg whites until thick, soft peaks form. (Using a hand mixer works best.) Fold into the batter very gently.
8. Pour or spoon batter evenly into the 12 cupcake liners.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes or until done (mine took less time.) Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove cupcakes from the pan. Cool completely.
10. When the cupcakes are cool, cut a small circle off the top and scoop out a little of the cupcake and put one whole strawberry in the cupcake.
11. Frost the cupcakes with the whipped coconut cream right before serving! I would keep the coconut cream in the frig until then so it stays hardened! 

**I made whipped coconut cream by refrigerating 2 cans of full fat coconut milk. Open the can and scoop out the hardened part on the top. Whip with a hand mixer with honey, vanilla extract, and almond extract (if you have it!)


DELISH!!!!

Makes 12 servings.

By Kate Battistelli – published in Maker’s Diet Meals

Date balls

My friend Louise and I wanted to make our guys some special treats for when they got home from the field. Louise made an amazing raw carrot cake. And I made these delicious date balls. We went halfsies on each. Best idea ever! 

Date Energy Balls (Vegan, Paleo)

Author: Detoxinista.com

Prep time:  15 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Serves: 24

 

A quick and easy treat, perfect for snacking!

Ingredients

• 2 cups walnuts, or other nut/seed of choice
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 cups soft Medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (I'll do 1/2 tsp next time!!) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the walnuts and coconut until crumbly. Add in the dates, coconut oil, vanilla and sea salt and process again until a sticky, uniform batter is formed.
2. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons, then roll between your hands to form balls. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then place in the freezer to set for at least an hour before serving. Store the balls in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for an even longer shelf life. (I prefer them frozen, myself!)
3. For a gourmet-looking truffle, you could also roll them in shredded coconut or cocoa powder before chilling!

Paleo pumpkin breakfast "cookies"

Love these! My new favorite muffins maybe?? 

Click here for the original recipe----> Beyond Diet

Makes 12 cookies or muffins 

1/2 cup almond butter (I'll try with peanut butter next time since it's way cheaper!)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey 

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1.5-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

1/4 tsp salt 

2-3 cups mix-ins (I used diced apple, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and chopped walnuts and pecans)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a fork. 

2. Drop onto baking sheet OR in a greased muffin tin (batter seemed too thin to do cookies! If you do cookies, use only one egg) 

3. Bake for 15 mins. 

Pumpkin Bread

I wanted to do a little something for our sweet realtor. She went above and beyond to get us into this house!!

I asked my mom, and she suggested baking pumpkin bread. She always knows what to do. :) I agreed that pumpkin bread would be the perfect little "thank you." 

When I need to find the best recipe of its kind, I check www.allrecipes.com and search by rating. This pumpkin bread has over 5,000 5-star reviews!

"Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread"

Original recipe makes 3 - 7x3 inch loaf pans

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

4 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

2/3 c. water

3 c. white sugar

3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1/2 tsp. ground cloves 

1/4 tsp. ground ginger 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

***I baked mine for at least 65! Just keep checking. 

Holiday Baking

Last week, my sister, mom, grandmother and I got together at my sister's house for a little holiday baking!

We made: 

1. Brown sugar caramel pound cake

2. Chocolate Truffle Cookies

3. Mom's toffee

4. Peanut butter stuffed, chocolate-dipped pretzels

5. Peanut butter pretzel balls

Series of Goodbyes: Part 2

Friday night, we had our last church small group meeting. Since it was the last one, we had a potluck dinner and played Catch Phrase (my favorite game ever!)

My new friend Aidalys came with her hubbie and two little girls. Aidalys and I just recently met. I immediately liked her because of her down-to-earth honesty and forthrightness. She's funny too. :) I'm sad we didn't meet sooner!

We made "paleo" Chocolate Pie...

And Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Walnuts.

(Check below for the recipes!)

At the end of the night, everyone gathered around and prayed for Billie and me. For our future, for our travels, and for God's provision and protection as we get settled at Fort Campbell. Doesn't get much better than that. 

Oh! I almost forgot... early Friday morning, Billie and I saw "Catching Fire," the new Hunger Games movie. I had forgotten what happened in the second book, so that was nice!
Everyone has been saying it's better than the first movie. I don't really think so. It was good! But more gruesome than I remember. And the ending definitely leaves ya hanging!


Ok, here are those recipes. :)
"Paleo Chocolate Pie"
Copied from: Fit Paleo Mom

For the crust: (Next time, I will make a little extra crust)
1 cup walnut halves
1/4 cup (about 4) pitted dates
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

For the filling:
1 cup coconut milk- refrigerate 2 cans of coconut milk, and only use the cream that separates to the top of the can
1/2 cup(about 8) pitted dates
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3 oz dark chocolate, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a food processor purée the walnuts, dates, cinnamon, and salt until very fine. Grease a glass pie plate with coconut oil.
2. Transfer crust mixture to a glass pie dish and press across the bottom and halfway up the sides
3. Rinse food processor.
4. In a small sauce pan heat coconut milk just slightly (or microwave it for 45 seconds).
5. Add heated coconut milk, dates, chocolate, coconut oil, and vanilla extract to the food processor and purée until its completely smooth.
6. Pour over crust and chill to set.


Bacon-Wrapped Dates with Walnuts:

Nitrate-free bacon, strips cut in half
Pitted dates
Walnut halves
Toothpicks

1. Cook bacon in microwave for 3 minutes (It will take you several batches before you have it all cooked!)
2. Let them cool for a minute, then wrap one date and one walnut half in bacon and stick a toothpick through to hold.
3. Bake on the top rack in a glass baking dish on 450* for about 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy.