OK, so I am about to share with you the most delicious, gluten-free, Paleo friendly cornbread recipe! This stuff is so good… in fact, my hubby and I managed to eat the whole pan in a matter of 24 hours. It’s very addicting!

The funny thing is that I never set out to make cornbread. I was actually trying to make pie crust… yep, pie crust. When the weirdly shaped pie crust came out of the oven… well, I sadly knew I had failed at trying to concoct pie crust. However, once I tasted my odd creation, I knew that with a few minor changes, I could turn this pie crust into some amazing cornbread!

Gluten-Free Paleo Honey Cornbread

Ingredients:

1/4 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons Coconut oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon liquid Stevia (if you don’t have this on hand, you may want to add a bit more honey)
1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Melt almond butter with coconut oil in the microwave, then stir in vanilla extract, eggs, honey and Stevia. Mix dry ingredients (almond flour, baking soda and salt) in a separate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients together. Stir well.  Pour into an 8×8 greased (or lined with parchment paper) baking dish or pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Side note, you could totally add in other ingredients you may have on hand to give this cornbread a different taste. For instance, you could add jalapenos and shredded cheese to change things up and give the cornbread a little kick!

I LOVE enchiladas… they are so delicious and always seem to hit the spot. So of course, I had to find a way to incorporate them into my new way of eating. Since I’m not eating grains, I had to get creative as I needed something other than tortillas to wrap up my enchiladas with. I looked in my fridge and noticed a big head of cabbage… perfect!

Simple Cabbage Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage
Shredded Chicken (I used leftovers from a rotisserie chicken we had)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
2 (4 ounce) cans of chopped green chiles
Fresh cilantro
Salt & pepper (to taste)
shredded cheese (optional)

For the Sauce:

Add the chicken broth to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and mix in the sour cream and green chiles, heat thoroughly but do not boil and make sure to stir often. Let simmer for just a bit and the sauce should thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Enchiladas:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel the cabbage leaves – make sure to peel them gently, as you don’t want them to tear. I ran the cabbage under warm water as I was peeling. This helped a ton. Throw the cabbage leaves into the pot of boiling water for a couple of minutes. Remove and set on a paper towel to dry.

Mix the shredded chicken with chopped fresh cilantro and shredded cheese (optional). I also seasoned well with salt & pepper.

Spread the enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Then take your cabbage leaves and place the chicken mixture inside of them and roll up. Place each cabbage roll in the baking dish. Once done, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over them. I also topped with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350° for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Top with anything you please. Salsa, hot sauce, jalapenos, avocados, cilantro, more cheese, freshly squeezed lime juice, sour cream and the list goes on! Enchiladas are so fun to make because you really can get creative and definitely make use of the veggies and pantry items you already have on hand.

* Please note that I have started incorporating dairy products back into my diet, so that’s why I decided to concoct a sour cream enchilada sauce. You can always substitute this sauce for more of a red sauce if you are trying to stay away from dairy products.

I LOVE grilling season! Seriously… everything tastes so much better when it’s grilled! With that being said, I thought I’d share this flavorful marinade for chicken drumsticks! Good stuff! …And keep in mind that this marinade would also be great on chicken breasts, wings and more!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano (Fresh would be even better!)
3 Garlic Cloves, pressed or minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
8 to 12 chicken drumsticks

* Also, for a variation of this marinade, you could instead sub lime juice for the lemon juice and fresh cilantro for the oregano. So good too!

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients (through the black pepper) in a bowl. Pour marinade into a large Ziploc bag and add the chicken drumsticks. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. We marinated our chicken drumsticks for 24 hours and they ended up being super flavorful, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to marinate them for as long as possible. Then throw those bad boys on the grill!

* Recipe adapted from here.

I am just in love with this super simple, delicious and creative recipe idea that I spotted over on Yummy Mummy… and yes, her pictures are far better than mine!

Basically you take a spaghetti squash, cut in half length-wise, drizzle olive oil on both sides, then bake at 400 degrees cut side down for about 35 minutes. Take out, let cool for a teeny bit and then take a fork to pull up all of the “spaghetti”.

Now you can top with sauce, meatballs, Romano cheese, basil… basically anything that you would normally top pasta with. Once finished, throw back in the oven and bake for just a few minutes. Seriously, so good and so easy!

…And if you are looking for a yummy meatball and sauce recipe, I share one here. Enjoy!

My daughter, Piper, absolutely LOVED this meal!

Ummm… I somehow concocted these seriously, oh so addicting, what I’m going to call, Sweet & Salty Paleo Bites! I was trying to make grain-free granola bars that were actually edible and ended up with this:

I got lucky! These are amazing. Sweet and salty all in one bite! It doesn’t get much better than that.

Oh and did I mention that they are super easy to make and you can substitute various ingredients with items you already have on hand. Plus, no baking is needed. Easy Peasy!

Sweet & Salty No-Bake Paleo Bites

Ingredients:

Nuts & Seeds
(keep in mind that you can substitute the nuts and seeds listed below for anything you have on hand.)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pistachios (I used salted)
1 cup pecans
1 cup sunflower seeds

Other Ingredients
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped – Optional (or choose another dried fruit you have on hand)
1 3oz chocolate bar with at least 70% Cocoa, smashed/chopped
(I used an Endangered Species chocolate bar with 88% Cocoa)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey (or Agave Nectar)
1 tsp salt

Directions:

Mix all of the nuts and seeds in a medium bowl. Take out about half and blend in a Vitamix or blender until they are finely ground. With the other half, chop or do what I do (put in a Ziploc bag and pound with a meat tenderizer). Put both sets of nuts and seeds in a bowl. Add the shredded coconut, chopped cherries, chocolate and salt to the nut mixture. Stir to combine.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the honey, coconut oil and almond butter. Then turn up the heat and bring to a boil for about 1 minute, then take off heat. Pour this hot mixture over the nut and seed mix. Stir until all ingredients are combined.

Firmly press the sweet & salty mix into a greased 8×8 pan (or line with parchment paper). Let cool for about 15 minutes and then, again, press the mixture down into the pan very firmly. Place pan in fridge for at least 2 hours to chill. The longer they chill, the better tasting they will be!

Enjoy!

I LOVE zucchini bread. It’s super moist and just plain delicious! …And oh so good with a cup of coffee or tea, for a quick afternoon snack, when a sweet craving hits at night and just about any time of day.

So that’s why I set out to make Paleo-Friendly, Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread that wasn’t just edible, but just as delicious as the typical zucchini bread I’m use to devouring AND bread that my kiddos would actually enjoy munching on. After some tweaking, here it is…

Zucchini Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 smashed nice and ripe bananas
4 eggs (whisked)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup Agave Nectar or honey (possibly more depending on how sweet you like it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients together (zucchini through almond butter). In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredient together (coconut flour through cinnamon). Now combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Mix together until well combined and then pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy!

OK… so let me start off by saying that I am not a good cook or maybe I should say I just don’t know what I’m doing in the kitchen. I really don’t – which I think makes it more fun and challenging!

So today I am sharing a recipe of which I am very proud. Through trial and error… OK, lots of error, I am finally ready to share a super moist and delicious gluten-free, flourless, and Paleo friendly chocolate cupcake recipe with you. If you love cupcakes like me and are missing out on them due to eating a certain way, give these a try.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
3/4 cup almond butter (you could probably use another nut butter and get similar results)
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey (or use another sweetener like Agave Nectar)
1 teaspoon liquid Stevia (I LOVE the NuNaturals brand!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ripe banana
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Throw coconut oil through banana in a Vitamix or blender or use a hand mixer. Blend everything until smooth. After doing so, stick your finger in (this is a requirement! ) and taste… good stuff. In a bowl, throw in the cacao powder, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Now dump the coconut oil mix in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is incorporated. Once finished, decide if you want to make an 8×8 cake or 12 cupcakes (make sure to grease your pan well or use cupcake liners or parchment paper)…

(I have baked both cake and cupcakes using this same recipe. The cake rose perfectly but the cupcakes, as you can see from the pic above, do have a tiny bit of a dip in the middle… no biggie in my book since I don’t know what I’m doing in the kitchen and they still tasted great, but thought I’d let you know, as you may have a solution?)

8×8 Cake
Bake at 325 for 30 to 35 minutes

12 Cupcakes
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes

Now for the frosting… you can eat without anything, you can create your own., or you can check out my creations.

Almond Butter Spread with Honey and Banana

(By the way, this stuff is so yummy with sliced bananas and apples. Also, if I have a sweet craving, I put this on a spoon and get transported to a happy place. Love it!)

Ingredients:

Ingredients:
1/2 ripe banana
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid Stevia to taste (optional)

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in Vitamix or blender until smooth. Spread on cupcakes… there should also be some leftover to indulge in whenever you have a sweet craving!

Simple Chocolate Frosting

(My kiddos opt for this over the almond butter spread)

Ingredients:
Enjoy life chocolate chips (or any other chocolate chips you like)
Coconut oil
Liquid Stevia (optional)

Directions:
Melt chocolate chips in saucepan with a little coconut oil and Stevia. Chill in freezer for a few minutes and then spread on cupcakes. I also sprinkled chocolate chips on top of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

I am guessing some of you have heard of mock mashed potatoes. Basically they are “mashed potatoes” made with just cauliflower (and not potatoes). I personally have tried them and never thought they were very good. In my opinion they don’t even have close to the same texture or taste as regular mashed potatoes. So with that being said, I was very happy when my sis gave me this tip…

For every head of cauliflower you use, add in one sweet potato.

Literally adding in that one sweet potato makes all of the difference. I felt like I was able to enjoy “mashed potatoes” again. In fact, I think I enjoy these mock mashed potatoes even more than regular mashed potatoes. And that says a lot!

3 Ingredient Mock Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled (or keep the skin on for extra fiber!)
1 head cauliflower
1/2 can of coconut milk

Directions:
Bake or steam sweet potato and cauliflower or use whatever method you like to make both veggies soft enough to mash. Throw sweet potato, cauliflower and a 1/2 can of coconut milk in a bowl. Use an immersion hand blender (love this thing!) or a masher to get to the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper… and then enjoy! So yummy!

…And I also want to mention that lots of the concoctions I create don’t always turn out as planned. An example of that would be today’s banana chocolate chip muffins that I made with almond flour. Hmmm….

But I was actually shocked when I took them out of the oven and tasted. Wow! They were amazing. Now to figure out how to make them actually look like muffins. Stay tuned…

I have a confession to make – I am a basil freak. Yep… I love it! And one of my favorite things to make with basil, why of course, pesto! If you haven’t had the chance to try pesto yet, you are so missing out and really should try the recipe below ASAP. This recipe will change your life! OK, maybe not change your life, but you get what I’m saying…

So usually pesto comes in handy when you want to turn a boring pasta dish into something quite amazing. However, since I am no longer eating pasta, I had to get creative and zucchini noodles came to mind. I made my zucchini noodles with this rockin’ gadget. I love this thing. It’s super user-friendly and clean up is a breeze. You gotta get one.

After making my “noodles”, I threw them into a bowl and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then I set them to the side to focus on making some delicious and simple pesto.

Simple and Delicious Pesto

(Makes enough sauce for about 5 zucchinis)

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh basil (about 4 to 5 cups)
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese (you could use Parmesan, but I love Romano!)
Freshly squeezed juice from 1 lemon
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (possibly more or less)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (possibly more or less)
1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients (except for the olive oil) in a blender or Vitamix. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil while blending until you reach the right consistency. Make sure to taste, as you may need to add more or less salt and pepper.

Nuke the zucchini noodles for a couple of minutes and make sure to drain any water that has formed in the bottom of the bowl. Throw Pesto sauce over the noodles and toss until evenly combined. I topped my pesto “noodles” with some additional grated Romano cheese and diced tomatoes… so delicious!

And yes, I am cheating a bit on Whole 30 by having the Romano Cheese… but I couldn’t help myself!

Since I started blogging about my Paleo recipes, I have received questions from many of you. One of the main questions I hear quite often - What are you eating for breakfast besides eggs?  This is a great question and one that I struggled to answer for a while because… well, I was honestly struggling with what to make for breakfast.

When I first started eating this way, I would on a regular basis scramble eggs with veggies or make an omelet. But, of course, over time that got really, really, really old!  And I finally had to use google to my advantage to see what creative (and frugal!) Paleo-friendly breakfast ideas I could find. So for the past month, I have really started making a point to change-up what we have for breakfast… and it has actually been fun experimenting.

Here are a few of my favorite breakfast concoctions:

* Mixed Nuts (sometimes I add shredded coconut) and berries with almond milk
You can see a picture of what this looks like at the bottom of this recipe post.

* Squash or Sweet potato Hash with veggies and sometimes bacon or eggs
Similar to this recipe.

* Leftovers from dinner the night before
I know this may sound weird to some of you, but occasionally in the morning dinner actually sounds good to me. Last week, for example, I made meatloaf patties with sweet potato and cauliflower “mashed potatoes” (recipe to come) and I ate a huge helping the next morning for breakfast. Yum!

* Simple Paleo-Friendly Pancakes

Have I peaked your curiosity regarding these simple and did I mention scrumptious Paleo pancakes? Well, good! I’ll be sharing this super simple pancake recipe below. And the credit for this recipe goes to Mark’s Daily Apple… thank you! Once I saw that this pancake recipe required just 3 ingredients (and 3 ingredients I already had on hand), I knew I had to try it and I am so glad I did!

3 Ingredient Paleo Pancakes (makes about 4 to 5 pancakes)

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 to 2 tablespoons of almond butter (you could probably use other nut butters in place of this)

Optional ingredients:
Vanilla Extract (or other flavoring extracts)
Stevia
Cinnamon
Chocolate Chips (I made a few for the kiddos one morning and added these!)
Cacao Powder
Pumpkin

Directions:
Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add the egg and almond butter. Mix until combined. I also opted to add cinnamon and a little vanilla extract. Heat coconut oil (or whatever you have on hand) in a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to pour each pancake onto the frying pan.

Once you start seeing holes and bubbles on the pancakes (like the pic below), they are ready to flip.

Keep in mind that these pancakes are on the delicate side since they have no flour in them, so take your time when flipping them and use a good spatula. These pancakes are actually really good plain… but there are also lots of various topping you could put on them. Just get creative! Blended blueberries with a little Stevia make for a sweet and oh so delicious topping.

If you have any other healthy breakfast ideas, I’d love to hear!