Paleo in a Nutshell

This is good stuff. The funny thing is, when it comes to the exercise portion, there is plenty of research. The medical field and public health officials who could get the word out are just choosing to ignore it. To many, it is easier to write a script than ruffle someones feathers by telling them to make a lifestyle change. I am taking a doctoral class right now that is all about illness prevention and health promotion and has a HUGE nutritional component. We just spent all day talking about glucose, insulin, and multiple other hormones and macronutrients that fuel our bodies and drive our metabolism. Incredibly complicated but interesting stuff! I'll try to post a blog about some of it this week when my brain stops spinning!

I love the simplicity of the message. I have forwarded it to a few people that are asking what we're doing different. My pastor did a message this morning on taking care of our bodies. He said, yes, Jesus can heal us, but we can also do alot to prevent sickness all together by caring for our bodies. Since our bodies are borrowed for a period of time, and as servants of Christ, we each have a job to do while we are here, isn't is obvious that we could be more effective in our roles if we are feeding ourselves properly and getting enough rest! Yes, the Lord knows the number of our days, but we have the ability to increase the quality of our life while we are here. And...if we are to jump off a bridge, our life will be cut shorter than what God had planned...so is it safe to say if we fuel our bodies with deadly chemicals and too much food...we, too, could shorten our days?

Here is a great "crustless quiche" recipe that we had recently. Very Paleo-friendly, except for the dairy, but what's quiche without cheese and milk? Maybe you could try tofu and soy milk instead. If anyone dares to try it let me know.
Crustless Quich Lorraine -
10 slices turkey bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled,
1 c. grated cheese,
1/4 c. minced onion (I used 1 T. dried onion flakes0,
6 eggs,
1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk (which has lower carb count than regular milk),
1/2 tsp. salt,
Dash of Tabasco.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle cheese, bacon and onion in 10-inch pie pan. Beat remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour over cheese and bacon mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting. Serves 6.

Michelle, thx for the recipe! I was thinking about making a quiche a few days ago and wondered about the "crust" :-) Can't wait to try it.

Oh, wow! I just finished the first tray of Tina's Snickerdoodles! They are delicious! Very light and crispy/airy...hard to describe. Just the right amount of sweetness, too! The problem is, you could eat the whole tray without thinking about it! Kind of like those meringue cookies...so light!I didn't have hazlenut flour so I just added more almond flour. My dough was a little sticky so I just spooned it onto the tray and then mashed them flat and sprinkled with the cinnamon/Splenda mixture. Turned out perfect! Everyone should give them a try!

Michele, can't wait to try to the quiche! Glad you liked the cookies. My dough was sticky too, so my hands just got a little messy. After you roll them into the Splenda and cinnamon they aren't so bad! I just finished eating them today. I need to make some more!

Spiced Cranberry Cookies (or Oatmeal Spiced Cranberry Cookies)

Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup Splenda
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon low sugar OJ
• 2 cups almond flour
• 2/3 cup ground golden flaxseed
• 1 cup corn flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• (optional) ½ cup whole oats
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and Splenda until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and orange juice concentrate. Combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves (dry ingredients); stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the dried cranberries (and oats if desired). Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

**I used a fork to gently push the cookies a little bit flat. Otherwise they will bake into rounded, not flat, cookies.

Please note, in the above recipe it should be oat flour instead of corn flour. I was copying and pasting from a recipe I modified and did not catch that. Sorry.

Ok, I hit the mother load! I LOVE banana bread! I have tried a recipe for a low carb banana bread before, but I was not thrilled. Now that I have my better almond flour, I thought I'd try again. I found another recipe and, as usual, modified the heck out it! Here it is...it is yummy! If you don't mind the extra fat and dairy, you can add a cream cheese topping to them that make them even better! Let me know if you want that recipe too. Blueberry Sour Cream Banana Bread Recipe: PREP TIME: 20 Min
COOK TIME: 1 Hr
READY IN: ~ 1 Hr 20 Mins
SERVINGS: Four 7×3 inch loaves
INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup butter
* 3 cups Splenda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 eggs
* 16 ounce sour cream
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 teaspoons baking soda
* 3 cups almond flour
• * 1 cup oat flour
• * ½ cup golden flaxseed
* 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
* 1/2 cup of chopped almonds
* 2 cups of blueberries
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare 4 regular loaf sized pans and grease them.
2. Add and mix butter and sugar followed by salt, baking soda and flour in a big bowl.
3. Mix eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
4. Combine the 2 and add in blueberries.
5. Transfer the mixture to the 4 pans and sprinkle almond nuts (and cinnamon if desired) on top. **Can also make muffins in cupcake pan, but bake only for 40-45 mins.
5. Bake at 300 for approximately 1 hour.
6. Check if the loaf is ready by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it’s ready to be taken out of the oven.

I just found a recipe for Pizza (sort of) that looks delicious! I can't wait to try it, only I'll have to have some of you over to help me because no one else in my family will eat mushrooms! Here it is - Portobello Pizza Serves 2 Ingredients
*1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
*1 garlic clove, diced
*1 package (6 ounces) portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
*Pinch of salt
*Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
*12 ounces reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
*10 fresh basil leaves
*2 fresh tomatoes, sliced, roasted, or grilled
*Oregano leaves (optional)
*Instructions: Combine the oil and garlic in a small bowl and rub the mushroom caps on all sides with the mixture. Place the caps, top side down, in a circle on an oiled baking sheet. Season with the salt and pepper. Arrange the cheese, basil, and tomato slices alternately in a circle on top of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with the oregano, if using. Bake at 450°F until the cheese melts, about 3 minutes. 549 calories (a little high), 36g protein, 3g fiber, 40g fat, only 14g carbs

Michele, that sounds awesome! I'll come over to help you eat it! :) Let me know how it is!

I am with the rest of the Deaton's, mushrooms are nasty! :)

I love mushrooms. Any type. Well, except for the one that makes you see things. I will definitely try that out. I'm also thinking of making bun-free grilled portobello mushrooms with bacon. lettuce and tomatoes. I'm just trying to think of what to substitute the buns with.