Wow! It has been a long time! BUT, yes, I am still eating Paleo and for the most part By Design!
Christmas is just over 2 weeks away, and I felt I needed some baking in the house. Rather than making all of my traditional family treats, I thought I would try out some Paleo treats.
Project #1 Primal Lemon Squares. I was quite excited to try this, I love lemon squares! I read all the reviews there were some successes, and lots of fails. People were having difficulty with the topping seeping through the crust and settling at the bottom, they suggested pre-cooking the crust. When I make regular lemon squares I always pre-cook the crust, so I tried that with this recipe. I cooked the crust for 10 minutes, and the topping still seeped through the crust. :( I suppose I could could the crust a little longer, my concern is that it gets too dry. I did spread my crust out over a slightly larger pan than recommended, so the slightly thinner crust could have been the cause too. Who knows. If you have any suggestions, or dare to try this recipe, PLEASE share your tricks/secrets!
Taste? Well I am not sold. Paleo baking uses lots of eggs, and often I find things tasting eggy. I think the lemon flavor is nice, but I can taste the eggy. I am not a huge fan of the texture either... I would say this recipe is a big FLOP in my books!!
Crust ingredients
1 cup almond meal
1 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon honey
3 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut milk
Filling ingredients
8 eggs
juice from 6 lemons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
In a bowl mix together all the crust ingredients. When it's completely
combined, press into the bottom of a greased 11x7 inch pan.
In another bowl wisk together all the filling ingredients except the
dried coconut. Slowly pour this over the crust mixture. Place in oven
and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle the shredded coconut
over the top while it's still hot. This is optional but it makes it look
pretty. Cool completely before serving.
recipe from http://theprimalhome.blogspot.ca/2011/08/primal-lemon-bars.html
I hope you have more success than me, and PLEASE share what worked or didn't work for you!!!!
Good Luck!!!
JoJo
Yep, I am still going, and still going strong.
It will be 2 weeks tomorrow since I officially finished the challenge. I said I would continue with the diet, and I have. It doesn't even really feel like work anymore. I still need to make sure I have lunches made etc, but I honestly think it has become a habit.
What do I need to work on now?
I need to cut down on the sugar. Even though I am using natural sugar sources, I still eat quite a bit. It is the Christmas season, and I love mandarin oranges (they aren't as good the rest of the year), so I am eating at least one a day. Then I like to bake cookies so I have some paleo cookies, then I have developed a taste for dark chocolate, so I eat some of that. What can I say, I love my sweets! It used to be a daily does of cake or cookies, so at least I am on the right track.
I need to work out more. Something always seems to come up to get in the way of my workouts. The baby has been really sick so I didn't go yesterday (that is a legit excuse). Last Wednesday it was something, the week before it was the weather, the week before that my father-in-law was in town. The excuses can go on forever. It is hard to get some where when you are dependent on other people for you to be able to do it.
My Next Step?
Getting the baby to eat more by design. I read the "why?" in my practical paleo book, and the more I read the more it makes sense. She has been sick since we arrived in Alberta. Obviously diet is not the only factor, I am sure there are some environmental factors, but diet is something I can have control over.
Anyways.... it will be a long night with my sick muffin, so I better get some rest!
JoJo!!
Its that time of year where you want to eat soup! My husband also needed a root canal, so he needed to eat soup too. Kind of a win win situation for me. I get to try out a new recipe, feed the family, and stick to my By Design way of eating!!
The soup was/is absolutely delicious, and really quite easy to make. I skipped a few steps and changed a few things, but I will add those notes into the recipe for you ;-) The first time I made the soup I measured most of the ingredients, and stuck to the recipe (minus the veggies). The second time I made it I didn't measure a thing, and I added shrimp and crab. Delicious.
Paleo Thai Chicken Soup
Ingredients: (8 servings)
1 tablespoon grape-seed oil - I used olive oil
3 shallots, chopped - I just used a regular old onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro I didn't bother chopping it since you strain it out anyways
4 cups chicken stock - I just used whatever came in the carton I bought
2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk - I had coconut cream
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 (8 ounce) package crimini mushrooms, sliced - we skipped the veggies
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast meat - i just pulled a part a rotisserie chicken
2 teaspoons red curry paste - i used 1/2 the jar, added some cayenne pepper and smoked paprika
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Serrano chile peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped green onions
8 lime wedges
Directions:
1. Heat the grapeseed oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook and
stir the shallots and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro in the hot pan
until the shallot has softened and turned translucent, about 4 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken stock, coconut milk, and agave nectar; bring to a
simmer over medium-high heat.
4. Once the broth reaches a simmer, strain through a mesh strainer into a
clean saucepan; discard the shallot and cilantro. I scooped mine out with a spoon so I did not need to use and extra pots. It worked fine (i did not chop my cilantro and i cut big chunks of onion to make it easier)
5. Return the broth to a
simmer; stir in the mushrooms and broccoli and cook until the broccoli
becomes tender, about 4 minutes. once again i skipped this step. I added my shrimp to cook at this point!
6. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring constantly.
7. Stir the curry paste, lime juice, and fish sauce in a small bowl to
dissolve the curry paste; mix into the simmering soup.this is where i added my smoked paprika and cayenne pepper
8. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cilantro, serrano peppers, green onions, and lime wedges to serve.
A big thank you to http://www.paleodietmealplans.com/paleo-thai-chicken-soup/ for the original recipe! Its a keeper!!
Enjoy...
JoJo!!
