Protein Balls 1.0. (Cinnamon Almond).

As I talked about last time, I've changed my diet every-day-food-selection recently. More protein! Less carb! Easy to digest things! And among all that I've found the need for an afternoon or pre-dinner snack that fits the bill. I've been eating too many Lara Bar Lemon Pie ALT bars, and Quest bars, and it's just not sustainable. I needed something that I could make at home, that was less costly, portable, protein rich, with just a little fat and a low CHO content... and so this recipe was born! (Oh, and it had to be easy, since I've got a busy schedule over here!)

This photo was taken right after I rolled them, before the fridge. I made two different kinds this morning, one which I will share at a later date (notice the balls lighter in color in the lower left hand corner).

And daaang, these babies are so good I don't know why I didn't do something like this sooner. They are also very easily customizable to make different flavors, providing you keep the general ratios the same ;)

Protein Balls 1.0. (Cinnamon Almond)
    inspired by deliciousness

    1/2 cup  homemade almond butter - or storebought - or nut butter of choice
    1/2 cup  rice protein powder - I use this one
    1/4 cup  ground flaxseed
    2 Tbsp  organic coconut oil, melted - source
    1 Tbsp  organic cinnamon - source
    1 Tbsp  local runny honey
    1/4 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    1-2 Tbsp water (optional)

(Be precise on measurements for best results. I'm an eyeballer too, but definitely get out your measuring cups for this one!)

To make your protein balls:
  1)  In a large bowl, combine almond butter, protein powder, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, salt, honey. Mix a little. Then add melted coconut oil. Mix until a dough like texture forms. Add water if necessary, I've found that every mixture is slightly different, but I've found you usually won't need to add the water.
  2)  Divide the dough equally into 10 balls. Roll dough with clean hands into balls. Then store in an air-tight container in the refridgerator. (They will soften outside of the fridge, like if you take one out and put it in your purse for later.)
  3)  Enjoy!

If you make 10 balls, here are the (approximate) stats (thanks to MyFitnessPal):

Calories - 159 kcal
Carbs - 7 g
Fat - 9 g
Protein - 13 g

Not bad, huh? I am not an advocate of counting calories, but sometimes it's good to see where recipes stand, especially if your aiming for something like a high protein snack, which I was. You can always make bigger or smaller balls to suit your own snack needs.

This is a great kid-friendly recipe as well - pour all the ingredients into a bowl - let them mix it - and let them help you roll them into balls! But no snitching, otherwise you'll throw off your macros ;)

There you go! Your very own homemade "protein bar!" Woot! Enjoy - and stay tuned for other versions soon. I have a feeling I am going to be making these alot ;)

Grain-free Granola 2.0.

About a year ago I made some delicious grain-free cinnamon raisin granola for the first time. It was seriously delicious. So recently I went to go make some, and the search bar in my blog wasn't working... anyone else having this problem?!  So I ended up wingining it, trying to remember just what I did, and it came out great!  Even better than the first version if I do say so myself.

This grain-free granola is crunchy, toasty, and packed full of flavor!  Everyone in your family will love it, and they will all have a hard time believing that yeah, there are no oats in here!  You could even make a batch of this granola, put it in cute little jars, and give it away as Christmas gifts!  But everyone just might hound you for the recipe ;)  No worries, feel free to share!

PS - If cinnamon and raisins aren't your thing, try another spice combo, like cranberries and cardamom, or nutmeg and dried blueberries, or apricots and cloves! Feel free to switch it up to your liking.

These were filled to the tippy tippy top, BUT I ate some ;)

Grain-free Granola 2.0.
    makes 2 gallon sized mason jars full (even with extensive recipe sampling ;)
    * these ratios are generalized, really just throw all your favorite nuts combination in a large bowl; for instance, I didn't use cashews or peanuts, but feel free to use these if you wish

1/2 cup each:
    sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, whole macadamia nuts*, whole pecans, whole walnuts
1 cup each:
    pumpkin seeds, whole pecans, sliced almonds, raisins
1 cup each:
    ground macadamia nuts*, ground pistachios, ground walnuts
1-2 cups  organic coconut "chips" (largely flaked coconut)
1 cup  organic shredded coconut (small little shreds of coconut, not traditional sized flakes)
2  large eggs
1 - 2 Tbsp  cinnamon
1/3-1/2 cup  brown rice syrup
~1/4 cup  runny honey

To make your yummy granola:
  1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees; mine was non-convection.
  2.  Combine nuts, coconuts, cinnamon, brown rice syrup, and honey.  Mix together. Add in both eggs and stir well with a wooden spoon.
  4.  On two parchment paper lined baking sheets, spread the mixture evenly between two pans.
  5.  Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. Watch it, uneven ovens may burn.  Stir well.  Bake another 10 minutes or so.  Stir.  Depending on your oven, you may need another a longer or shorter time. For me, it varies a little on every batch.
  6.  When done, remove from oven and let cool on pans. The granola will crisp up considerably as it cools and even more after you put it in jars and taste it the next day.

*My macadamia nuts were roasted and salted, so I did not add salt to the recipe. If you don't have any pre-salted nuts in your mixture and they are all raw, I suggest adding a teaspoon or two of salt, to your taste.

I cannot be held responsible for any granola-lovers who ingest too much granola during the making of this recipe. WARNING - This granola is dangerously good. Serve it straight out of the jar as a snack, with some cold raw milk or coconut milk in the morning like "cereal" or even on top of your favorite greek yogurt or ice cream. Or even a fruit parfait!  Use as you would any "regular" granola, but be aware that this granola is substantially more calorie dense, so you can eat way less and still feel just as satisfied ;)

Yum! Enjoy :)

"Reverse" Nourishing Protein Bars 1.0.

Cocoa butter is one of those ingredients that I've been wanting to flirt with for a while, yet the "high" price tag has always bothered me. Recently, however, some of my blogger friends have been using cocoa butter in their recipes, effectively making me jealous (well, more so curious!), so I jumped in and got some myself.

Cocoa butter is the fat that is extracted from the cocoa bean; and that's why it is white/yellowish in color, and not brown. Good quality cocoa butter should be at least $15/lb, and if it's less than that, you're either getting scammed or you just happened on a good deal. Look for a brand that has good reviews, is raw and organic, and can be used to make both food items and lotions. If you're using your cocoa butter for food applications, like here, you do not want to buy a non-food grade cocoa butter, so be sure to read the description on the product before you buy. I am a fan of Tisano brand organic cocoa butter, which you can find the link to on my ingredients page.

Cocoa butter comes in chunks or wafers (look for the kind made of chunks) and is easily meltable. For best results, store in the fridge before you're ready to work with it. And don't be afraid to try a chunk on it's own. I think it texture is like a bit like really smooth fatty coconut, but instead of coconut flavor, a hint of chocolate flavor instead! That being said, it's super versatile, and you can use it in chocolate sauces, puddings, and in things like these delicious protein bars :) I actually had a little bit left after making my protein bars, so I mashed some ripe bananas into it, added some cocoa powder, a little coconut sugar, ground chia, salt, and vanilla, and Viola! Chocolate pudding!

"Reverse" Nourishing Protein Bars 1.2.

    a spin off my original protein bars

 
    1 cup  whole raw walnuts
    1 cup  whole raw pumpkin seeds
    1/4 cup  ground chia seed
    1/2 cup  organic whole cranberries - mine were from Trader Joes
    1/2 cup  organic unsweetened coconut chips
    1/2 cup  organic sunbutter - mine was homemade :)
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    1/2 cup  organic coconut oil, melted
    1-2 Tbsp  organic local wildflower honey
    2-3 tsp  vanilla
    ~  1 cup  organic raw cocoa butter, melted - source
    ~  1 cup  coconut cream concentrate - source
    ~  1/4-1/3 cup  organic coconut oil
    1 dropper  vanilla creme liquid stevia (optional)
    1 Tbsp  vanilla
 
* Please note the ingredients with an "about" sign in front of them are just estimates of amounts. I really just added some cocoa butter, ccc, and coconut oil to a double boiler and melted it together, adding the stevia (for sweetness) and vanilla (for flavor) at the end. I wanted a lot chocolate coating on my protein bars, but feel free to use less if desired.

To make your protein bars:
  1.  Place walnuts, pumpkin seeds, ground chia, cranberries, coconut, sunbutter and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
  2.  In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil using LOW heat. Remove from heat and add vanilla and maple syrup.
  3.  Add melted oil mixture to the food processor and pulse/grind ingredients until it forms a coarse paste.
  4.  Scoop out the mixture and press down hard into an square bar pan.
  5.  Melt coconut and cocoa butter in a double boiler, add stevia and vanilla last when finally melted. Pour the white mixture on top of the already pressed down bars, it should be liquid. Place into the fridge until chocolate has hardened. To serve, take bars out of fridge for at least 2 minutes. Work a knife around the edges gently, or insert a large knife on side and gently pop out the bar  and place pieces of plastic wrap or small baggies. Freeze for later or munch right away :)


You can even cut them into smaller or easier to bite shapes, like in the second photo. Enjoy this easy + nutritious option on the go!

Banana Macadamia Muffins.

 

For the past two weeks I've been on a muffin craze, which has me seriously thinking why I don't make muffins more often. Perhaps the one thing between me and muffin-land is the belief that muffins take longer from start to finish. Well, after making 4 different batches of muffins in the past 2 weeks, I can definitely say, I am so totally wrong! Muffins are easy. Easy easy easy. Which means... More muffins! More muffins! Yay!

You will certainly feel my enthusiasm once you taste these muffins. I orginally found the recipe on Tropical Traditions coconut recipe website (which is great for inspiration), but have never made a recipe from there before. I never make a recipe from someone I don't know, or a blogger I don't respect. I've done it before, and they don't work out. Anyways! So these muffins looked so great, and after looking at the ingredient list I figured they couldn't go wrong, so I whipped up these muffins. I am so glad I did! They are moist, with just the right texture and not overloaded on any one ingredient. My favorite thing is that you can make these in one bowl quite easily, then pop them into the oven and you've got some delicious muffins to share!

I made some minor changes to the recipe, like subbing coconut water vinegar for lemon juice, since it's what I had on hand, and I didn't toast the coconut before adding it to the batter, since that would just be another step. I've also found that the recipe makes 14 muffins, so you'll need more than one muffin tin. Head over to thepaleomom.com for the original recipe!

Banana Macadamia Muffins.
    makes 14 muffins

    2/3 cup  macadamia nuts of choice, chopped
    2/3 cup  unsweetened coconut flakes
    1 cup  blanched almond flour
    ¼ cup  organic coconut flour - source
    3  ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
    2  eggs, room temperature
    1/3 cup  raw creamy honey
    1/3 cup  organic coconut oil, melted and cooled
    ¾ tsp  baking soda
    ½ tsp  unrefined sea salt
    1 tsp  coconut water vinegar or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
    1 tsp  vanilla extract

To make your muffins:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees convection. Take out 2 muffin tins and place muffin liners inside.
  2. In a large bowl, add nuts, coconut, flours, baking soda, salt; mix to combine.
  3. To the same bowl, add eggs, bananas, honey, coconut oil, vinegar, vanilla; mix again to combine.
  4. Drop by tablespoons into the muffin tins. Fill 14 muffins full. *This will make 14 full sized muffins as long as there is no batter eaten in the process.
  5. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans at 20 minutes for best results. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes. Then move muffins to a cooling rack, which helps to firm up their bottoms. Enjoy!

These muffins can be frozen or refridgerated! I recommend storing them in the fridge, versus the countertop before eating. Be sure to share these with your family and friends, they're quite tasty!

Grain-free Blueberry Muffins 1.0.

I have loved all things blueberry for as long as I can remember. In fact, maybe I should ask my mom, as I am sure there was some point when I didn't like blueberries... but if there was a day, I don't want to remember!

August in New England means blueberries. Usually I get a bunch from some bushes we have on the land, but this year, either someone was picking them, or they just didn't have a good year, since I couldn't find nearly any! Lucky for us there are groceries stores that sell frozen blueberries and other farms to buy them from at the local farmers market!

These muffins were muffin #2 on my recent muffin kick. I am really excited about the flavor and 85% of the texture, but they seem to be a little on the crumbly side. I am going to work on this, and then edit the recipe, but I couldn't wait to share! They are just too delicious. The flavor is perfectly balanced.

Grain-free Blueberry Muffins 1.0.
    makes 18 muffins

    3/4 cup  organic coconut flour – sifted
    1/2 cup  blanched almond flour – sifted
    1/2 cup  raw honey
    1/2 cup  organic coconut oil, softened
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    1/2 tsp  baking soda
    2  real eggs
    1 - 1½  cup  raw whole milk
    juice of half a lemon
    zest of one lemon
    1 cup  ground walnuts
    2 cup  frozen or fresh (large) blueberries
    sugar crystals for sprinkling - optional

To make your blueberry muffins:
  1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
  2.  In a large bowl, whisk coconut oil until glossy, white and homogenous. Add raw honey and whisk until combined. Add room temperature eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest.
  3.  Add coconut flour, almond flour, soda, salt and walnuts to wet ingredients, sifting the flours into the bowl. Combine with a spatula.
  4.  Add milk, and combine again. Gently fold in blueberries.
  5.  With a tablespoon, add batter to muffin tins until 3/4 full. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool for a few minutes, then move muffins to a wire rack to cool.

If you don't anticipate eating these within a week (stored in the refridgerator) then freeze them! They'll keep for about 6 months, that is, if you don't eat them sooner ;)

 

Grain-free Sweet Potato French Toast.

Growing up I have a lot of fond memories of my mom's cooking.  On the weekends, she would make a special breakfast for us, and my brother and I would get to choose between either pancakes, french toast, or waffles.  French toast was my brother's particular favorite.  It always came out the same, (tasty), and it was the faster of the three options for my mother to prepare, which always meant breakfast would be sooner!

To be honest I haven't had regular french toast in a long time. Last summer I spontaneously took some left over sweet potato, combined it with some eggs and warm spices, and this recipe was born! I didn't write it down, however, and this last year of medical school has stopped virtually all my recipe development time. Since I am free this summer, I have more time, and so one morning last week I spent time in the kitchen whipping this up! It feels good to be cooking again :)

If you're paleo, primal, grain-free or just wish to avoid unecessary carbs, this recipe is for you. It doesn't actually contain any bread, just some delicious orange sweet potatoes. The eggs and warm spices combine to make the french-toast taste. The texture isn't like bread, but it's moist and melts in your mouth!! Yum!

Grain-free Sweet Potato French Toast.
    makes one 9x13 pan

    1 Tbsp  cinnamon
    1/2 tsp  fresh ground nutmeg
    3 dashes  ground cloves
    1/4 tsp  black pepper
    1/2 tsp  unrefined sea salt
    2 tsp  vanilla extract
    2 Tbsp  raw honey - source
    2 Tbsp  organic coconut oil, melted - source
    1/2 cup  organic raw milk
    6  happy pastured eggs

    3 large sweet potatoes, washed and peeled

    Toppings: (optional, choose your favorites!)
      pecans
      sunflower seeds
      coconut chips
      maple-cinnamon sugar - source

To make your french toast:
  1.  Wash and peel your sweet potatoes. Cut lengthwise in half, then cut each half into half moon shapes about a half inch thick. Arrange on a cookie sheet and roast at 425 degrees until just fork tender.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all spices, honey, oil, milk and eggs. Be sure coconut oil is not hot. Whisk until well combined and there are no lumps of spices or egg.
  3. Grease a 9x13 glass casserole dish with about 1 tablespoon of butter.
  4. Arrange pre-baked sweet potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Pour egg and spice mixture on top. Sprinkle with toppings of choice! I used pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut chips and a maple sugar-cinnamon mixture. Other good choices would be whole walnuts, shredded coconut, ground pecans, and raisins.
  5. Bake at 400 degrees convection, covered in foil, for a total of 45 minutes. At 30 minutes check to see how it's doing. For the last 5 minutes, remove foil. Let cool to set before serving warm with plain yogurt, thick greek yogurt or maple syrup. This will freeze very well and is also great for the next few days straight from the fridge. Enjoy!

This recipe would be a great brunch option, since you can easily make the sweet potatoes and egg mixture the day before and store it in the fridge. Then in the morning before guests arrive, grease the baking dish, add the sweet potatoes, pour in the egg mixture, add the toppings, and in an hour you'll have some delicious paleo french toast baked, cooled, and ready to be devoured! I'd serve it topped with your favorite greek yogurt and fresh blueberries or strawberries, with sizzling bacon on the side, and warm green tea in your mug!

I'd eat this up within a week after you make it, but then again I don't think that will be a problem :)

Cashew Cookie Butter.

Rarely do I ever see a recipe online and go out and buy all the ingredients and then make it.  But I did exactly that with this recipe (and in less than 24 hours!)... it just looked too good.  This recipe comes from Studio Cuisine blog.  I love to try different combinations of nut butters, like my cinnamon honey almond butter, and this one was fantastic!  It tastes amazing -- just like sugar cookies! But it has none of the undigestible grains or refined sugars, and the cashews make it full of protein.  Therefore it makes a great snack, or a great spread for breakfast!  If you love cashew butter, you'll love this cookie butter.

Cashew Cookie Butter.
    adapted from Studio Cuisine
    makes one cup

    1.5 cups  organic whole raw cashews
    1/3 cup  unsweetened organic banana chips
    1 T  organic coconut sugar/palm sugar - source
    4 tsp  organic coconut oil
    1/3 tsp  vanilla
    1/4 tsp  cream of tartar (optional - for flavor)
    1/4 tsp  baking soda (optional - for flavor)

To make your cookie butter:
  1.  In a food processor, blend coconut sugar, banana chips and cashews together until it become homogenous and balls up.
  2.  Add honey, vanilla, cream of tartar, baking soda, and blend again.  Lastly, add coconut oil and blend until smooth.  If you'd like your butter a little more runny, add more coconut oil.  Mine was a perfect consistency at just 4 tsp.
  3.  Store in an airtight container.  It keeps outside for a little over a week.  For longer storage, refrigerate.

I can't wait to try some of this in my Vitamix! Make sure you share it with your friends :)

Thea's Spiced Nuts

Don't these nuts look good?  I am addicted to them.  My sister-in-law, Thea, brought these to our Christmas celebration.  They were so good I think the five of us ate the whole container in about half-a-day.  Well, almost.  When nuts were about 90% gone and I realized that I had to hide them in order for us to stop!  Where is a good place to hide delicious-tasty-spicy-sugary-crunchy nuts?  The freezer!!  I stuck them in there to stop our munching and then I found them there the next morning, still safe and sound.  But before I knew it they were out on the table for breakfast and my older brother had already finished them off!!

These nuts are that good!  They are very easy to make, too.  Luckily my sister-in-law had given my Dad his own separate container of nuts for Christmas, so I was able to get pictures!  Thea explained the recipe to me and it really was quite easy so I decided to make a big batch and hand them out for my family's Christmas goodie bags we give out each year.  The Christmas mix this year included these spiced nuts, honeyed cashews (recipe to come!), crystallized ginger chunks, white chocolate chips, red and brown MMs, and dried cranberries.

Goodie bags all ready to go!

One Christmas gift I received was David Lebovitz' book The Perfect Scoop, which is the book to get about ice cream making.  I have an ice cream maker and enjoy making my favorite raw milk french vanilla ice cream.  This book was on my Amazon wishlist for a long time!  Thank you dearest brother for the gift!  In the book I discovered that David has a nut recipe exactly like what my sister-in-law had described to me.  So I took his recipe and her advice, multiplied the recipe by four, and went to work.

Because the recipe is in David's ice cream book, I am not going to share it here, it's just not fair.  I highly recommend the book and encourage everyone to go pick it up at their local bookstore, Amazon or download it through Kindle.  The recipe is very basic, and I will only describe the process to you.  It is a fantastic way to use leftover egg whites, which sometimes accumulate fast and I have no idea what to do with.  You can also Google "spiced nuts" or "egg white nuts" and several recipes will pop up.

Thea's Spiced Nuts
    adapted from David Lebovitz

First, choose the kind of nuts you would like to use.
Second, froth some leftover egg whites with a fork.
Third, add your favorite spices and granulated sugar of choice to the egg whites.  Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger will steal the show.
Fourth, toss this all together in a bowl, spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at low temperature for 30 minutes.  No need to stir.  Do not overbake.  Nuts will crisp up a bit once out of the oven.  Let cool before storing in Christmas tins or baggies, or before serving.  Store in an airtight container in cool, dry place.  Refridgeration is not needed.  And they are so good you might want to hide them from other family members.

I did get a picture of my nuts BEFORE they were baked though!

These nuts make the house smell FANTASTIC, so if you need to sell your house or wow some guests, make a batch of these and you'll have a warm house full filled with the sweet aroma of caramelized sugar and roasted cinnamon!

4 Ingredient Almond Bars.

This grain-free nutritious snack is as easy to make as it is to eat!  Four easy ingredients that everyone typically has on hand, and four easy steps to make!  It's a great option for crumbling over yogurt in the morning for breakfast, or taking to-go as a snack on the run.  Protein from the almonds and fat from the butter will help keep you satisfied and fueled for a long time.  The short ingredient list makes these bars super easy to whip up as well, which saves a lot of time when you need some nutritious snack options but don't have time to make nourishing protein bars or grain-free zucchini bread.  Best of all, they do not require any special equipment, like a high powered blender or food processor.

4 Ingredient Almond Bars
    makes one 9x13 pan

    16  oz salted grass-fed butter*
    4  cups sliced almonds, crushed
    1/2  cup organic raisins
    1/2  cup honey, raw or runny

To make your almond bars:
  1.  In a large bowl, combine almonds, raisins, and honey.  Add butter and combine into nuts using your hands.
  2.  Pour mixture into any 9x13 pan and press down hard.  I used wax paper and my hands for this step.  Beat with a mallet to get it really compacted.
  3.  Bake in a 375 degree for about 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Watch it carefully to make sure the edges don't burn.
  4.  Let harden in the refrigerator.  Slice into squares and enjoy!  Store in the refridgerator.  These bars can also be frozen for the long-term.

Looking for more snack options? Check out these easy-to-make recipes:

Chocolate Chunk Bark
Green Fig Bars
Nourishing Protein Bars 1.0
Nourishing Protein Bars 2.0
Sunbutter Chocolate Raisin Bars
Grain-free Basil Crackers
Chocolate Peanut Butter "No Bake" Bars

These photos were taken on my iPhone, not too bad!

*Hello everyone who commented below about the amount butter used. It's not a typo, but since several people are having issues with the recipe, it is making me think I wrote down the wrong amount originally. Also, the butter is not melted, but cut into the almonds with your hands. This might make a difference. I'd suggest cutting the butter in half or in 2/3rds. Sorry for the issues! When I have time In the summer, will retest the recipe myself. 

Thanksgiving ideas including CORNBREAD!

I have been a fan of cornbread ever since I was a child. I really used to enjoy almost any decadent homemade recipe which were staples of either friends or family, however, I would not touch any sort of dry cornbread. Crumbles everywhere? No, thank you. No matter what anyone tells you, cornbread should never, EVER be dry. This recipe stomps all over those notions and is full of nutrient dense saturated fats from raw milk and grass-fed butter.

Now I am revisiting my favorite recipe just a few days before Thanksgiving. It's simply the greatest recipe. For the past few Thanksgiving holidays, I've been responsible for making the cornbread. My "family" and friends have been so happy to help themselves each year. It's a real treat when it comes piping hot from the oven :) I created the original recipe back in 2009, and I've never looked back since. It's too good! And that's one reason I try to make it ONLY once a year ;) Someday I hope to created an even better version nutritionally by soaking or sprouting the corn. Making it GAPS legal would be a feat too. For now, I don't have time to mess with perfection. Maybe next year. Even though it is not grain-free and does not use soaked/sprouted corn, I think that once a year I can make an exception, a very tasty exception.

Golden brown top :)

Unlike most cornbread recipes, this bread is so moist that you don't have to slather it in butter to make it palatable. Another great thing is that it gets even better as it ages. Sitting in the fridge for a week (be sure that for storage, you refrigerate after you bake) only makes the cornbread better! It warms up nicely in the oven as well. That is if you have leftovers, which I doubt it ;)

Moist and buttery inside :)

The Best Cornbread

    makes one 9x13

    1 cup  uncooked polenta - I used Bob's Red Mill

    1 cup  MASECA "Masa" Instant Corn Masa Flour or equivalent masa

    2 cups   stone ground cornmeal - I used Bob's Red Mill

    2 cups  raw whole milk

    1 cup  organic cane sugar

    4 tsp  baking powder

    1 tsp  baking soda

    1 tsp  sea salt

    4  real eggs

    2  sticks unsalted grass-fed butter, softened

    2  heaping cups fresh cut off corn off the cob or frozen corn*

To make your cornbread:

    1.  Mix polenta, masa, cornmeal, baking powder + soda, and salt in large bowl.

    2.  In a small bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until fluffy.

    3.  Add 2 cups of milk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until well combined.

    4.  Gently fold in the butter mixture into the bowl of milk/cornmeal. Make sure to FOLD in (do not stir) until combined.

    5.  Lastly, fold in the cut corn. You can leave it out, but I would not suggest it with regards to both flavor and texture of the cornbread.*

    6.  Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan (use coconut oil, old butter wrappers or olive oil spray MISTO and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. You will know the cornbread is done when it springs back like a cake in the middle, a poker will come out clean, and the top is a lovely golden brown.

*The addition of fresh corn "off the cob" into the batter gives the bread a whole other dimension of both taste and flavor. If you don't have fresh corn, use frozen corn, but be sure to look for NON-GMO and organic so you do not consume any genetically modified corn.

Now I also want to share with you some other great Thanksgiving ideas that I've found my own archives and from fellow real food bloggers. Because Thanksgiving isn't ONLY about the cornbread ;)

Easy pre-festivities breakfast
     Two versions of pumpkin pancakes: Pumpkin Pancakes, Primal Pumpkin Pancakes
     Grain-free waffles
     Pumpkin Smoothie

Before dinner munchies
     Grain-free crackers
     Nourishing Protein bars
     Grain-free pumpkin bread or grain-free pumpkin muffins
     Raw veggies with some savory dip and also guacamole
     Deviled pastured eggs with real mayonnaise
     Spicy nuts

Beverages throughout the day
     Eggnog (with raw milk, pastured eggs, raw honey and NO HFCS!)
     Fermented apple cider
     Hot apple cider
     Hot chai cocoa 
     Coconut milk dark cocoa
     Raw milk

Making the perfect turkey
     Brining [pre-roast prep]
     Making chicken (turkey) stock [for basting]
     Where to buy the perfect turkey (if you don't have a local farmer as a source)

And if you're feeling adventurous... TURDUCKEN! 
Check out this funny commentary:
     Turducken

Sides
     Roasted Brussel Sprouts with special additions
     Cranberry Sauce or Cranberry-Onion Compote
     Faux Potatoes
     Traditional Mashed Potatoes a little bit different
     Roasted Sweet Potatoes
     Vanilla Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Dessert
     Primal Pumpkin pie
     Maple Walnut pie
     Grain-free Crunchy Apple Cobbler
     Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
     Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream
     Homemade peanut butter cups
     Pumpkin swirled brownies
     Fresh whipped cream

Enjoy these Thanksgiving recipes! (Still looking for more ideas? Take a look at my recipe roundup from last Thanksgiving!) And remember everyone, this is not your typical dry cornbread. This bread is moist, decadent and lovely. Eat up! And of course, be sure to share some with your favorite people. I promise it will disappear as fast as mine!

Remember that our abundance ultimately comes from the Lord!

Isaiah 55:1-3 (NKJV)
¹ “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
      Come to the waters;
      And you who have no money,
      Come, buy and eat.
      Yes, come, buy wine and milk
      Without money and without price.
² Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
      And your wages for what does not satisfy?
      Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
      And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 
³ Incline your ear, and come to Me.
      Hear, and your soul shall live;
      And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
      The sure mercies of David.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Green Fig Bars

As you probably have already noticed, I love to make raw nut based "protein" bars. Whenever I go to an event, or want to bake something healthy for someone that is easy and does not take much time, I turn to my protein bar recipes. Remember my Sunbutter Chocolate Raisin Protein bars? And my Original Nourishing Protein bar recipe, look here and here? They are always a hit! I am always asked for the recipe. I am definitely a kitchen experimentor, I am definitely creative in the kitchen and so as I discover new ingredients (spirulina, coconut cream, zante currants) each different type of bar takes on a slightly different texture and flavor. The one thing I never change? Chocolate :)

This bar is all about figs! Have you ever tried a dried organic turkish fig? They are fantastic! After biting through the slightly tough outer layer, there are myriads of little tiny gooey fig seeds inside. I really enjoy biting off the tops and then stuffing them with other ingredients like homemade peanut butter and creamy coconut cream. They make the perfect snack! Figs are the star in this recipe, since I used some figs for the base and also some yummy fig jam. The bars look green because I used some spirulina. After seeing it on so many food blogs and then researching it myself, I decided to buy some at my local health food store and give it a try. I am surprised how it smells like algae - that was something I did not expect... but since it IS algae I do not really know what I was expecting it to smell like! The spirulina gives the bar a nutritional boost and a lovely green color. But don't worry, you can't taste any funny algae-like flavor in this bar.

Green Fig Bars

Base:
    4 large medjool dates - pitted
    1/3 cup organic raisins
    4 organic turkish figs
    1/2 cup roasted and salted macadamia nuts
    1 T fig jam - I used St. Dalfour, since it has no cane sugar
    1 T organic coconut oil
    1 T organic chia seeds
    1/2 tsp spirulina
    1 tsp vietnamese cinnamon (it's stronger than grocery store cinnamon and more flavorful)
    1/2 tsp sea salt

Chocolate topping (choose either):
    Handful or two of 100% baking chips or unsweetened chocolate - melted
    1/4-1/2 cup raw cacao powder + 1/4-1/2 cup coconut cream - melted and whisked together

To make your bars:
1.  In your food processor, blend dates, raisins, figs and nuts, until it reaches a coarsely ground texture. Pulse the mixture for a few times at the beginning to get it started.
2.  Add jam, oil, chia seeds, spirulina, cinnamon and salt to the food processor and process until combined. Mixture will be on the "wet" side.
3.  Using a square muffin pan (mine looks like this), place little bit of the bar mixture into each spot and push down with your fingers (helps to keep placing your fingers in a bowl of cold water).
4.  Pour type of melted chocolate of choice on top of each fig bar. Place in the freezer until set. Carefully remove from pan and store in the refrigerator. I wrap mine individually with plastic wrap.

These make a great snack! If you do not particularly like figs, try using raspberry or blueberry jam and use more dates instead of figs. Or you could just make some Sunbutter Chocolate Raisin Protein bars or Original Nourishing Proteins bars. They are all crowd pleasers, and no one will know that they are eating a healthy treat that is grain-free, full of both protein and fat which will give them lasting energy.

Enjoy your homemade protein / energy / chocolate green fig bars :)

Ps. Wondering what that triangle shaped treat is in the picture? You'll have to wait until next post :)