French Toast Sticks

I have been seriously craving french toast. Like every time I see bread, I want to buy it, and make french toast out of the entire loaf.

 

So this morning, I woke up with the idea that I would just make my own loaf of bread, and then turn in into french toast. And I did exactly that.

 

I made a SUPER simple coconut and tapioca flour bread. It didn't fluff like some breads do, so it turned out to be perfect for french toast sticks!

 

Which, in my opinion, are even more delicious.

 

I wish I would have taken a picture of the bread before I turned it in to french toast, however, I did not. So you will just have to take my word on it, and the fact that it was perfectly golden and delicious.

 

Once the bread was done, I let it cool for about 10 minutes before slicing it into sticks. Then I prepared the custard for the french toast.

 

Preheat your oven to 350.

 

Dip each stick into the custard, for 30 seconds on each side. Then place them onto a greased cookie sheet.

 

 

Once each stick is dipped, place it on the sheet, and put it back in the oven for about 10 minutes until crispy!

 

I also made a homemade syrup to go on top because I was out of my usual maple syrup. It was also super easy. I'll hook you up with the recipe below.

 

Enjoy. I promise these are the bomb.

 

 

Coconut-Tapioca Flour Bread recipe can be found here.

I subbed lemon juice for the apple cider vinegar, and baking soda for the cream of tartar.

 

French Toast Custard:

1C Vanilla Almond Milk

3 eggs

1-2 T Cinnamon

1t Vanilla

2T raw honey (melted in microwave)

 

Let sit for a couple minutes, and then begin the french toast process.

 

Sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

 

Maple Syrup:

1/4C Molasses

1/2C Coconut Palm Sugar

1t Vanilla

6-8T of water

 

Let come to a boil over medium low heat, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Take off heat and stir in 1T of grassfed butter.

 

Oink, oink. Haylea

 



Donut Holes & Engagement (eek!)

I know. I have seriously been slacking getting this post up, and giving you all the amazing recipe from the donut holes I made on Easter morning. 

BUT, I have an amazing reason why!

While on Spring Break, I GOT ENGAGED! 

Ever since, it has been a crazy whirlwind of excitement and wedding talk, therefore leaving me no time to blog and hardly any time for baking *sad face* 

Although, I do love talking wedding. 

Almost as much as I love to cook. 

I had booked us a hotel in Chicago for a night, and had planned on spending two days walking around beautiful Chicago and eating at some tasty restaurants. My boyfriend (now finace :D ) had other plans. (And so did the weather)

*Here begins my engagement story...If you just want the recipe, scroll WAY down*

I always joke, but it never fails, whenever I plan to go somewhere in advance, the weather always turns out to really suck. Last week, it was beautiful in Chicago on Monday, but on Wednesday and Thursday, the forecast was a warm (joking) 45 and torrential downpours all Thursday. Awesome. 

So as we drove up, I was so bummed. Like trying to make the best of it, but on the inside I was bummed. I wanted to be able to walk around the beautiful parks without freezing. 

We had talked about going to some museums, but ultimately we chose to bundle up and walk through Millennium and Daley Park. 

Yup, I'm so glad we did this. 

Side rant: If you haven't seen or been to the new Daley Park and Playground, you are missing out on life. Go. Now. 

Fast-forward to us playing on the playground, and walking on the sidewalks along the park. We were just discussing how beautiful the skyline was at the spot where we were standing, when Marc asked if I wanted to make a memory.

Another side note: He has a history of joking about getting engaged and fake proposing. 

So, of course, I was like "hell no!" Let's keep walking. 

*He kneels down* 

"OMG. This is for real. Like you aren't joking?"

*Pull out ring box*

My inner self was screaming hysterically at this point, and I'm pretty sure I blacked out, and the world went silent, and whatever beautiful words he said, I didn't hear any of it. Not one word. 

I said, "YES!" 

And it was awesome. 

It turned out to be a really fun trip. We ate at Mercadito (best Mexican restaurant EVER, seriously), and had breakfast at Wildberry (again, amazeballs). And just like the weather forecast predicted, there was terrible thunderstorms Thursday morning, so we just hit the road. 

After all, I was engaged, and had to get home to start planning (not joking).  

And all of that, is why I am just now getting around to posting this DELICIOUS recipe. 

I found a version of this on a Keto Diet blog, but adapted it so that I didn't have to go to the store, and it turned out perfect! I can't wait to try some more donut holes in the future. 

Apple Fritter Donut Holes

• *1/2 cup coconut flour
• *2 tsp baking powder
• *2 Tbsp of UMP Vanilla Protein Powder (or any sort of vanilla protein you like)
• *1/2 t Chia Seeds 
• *10-15 drops of Sweet Leaf Drops 
• *2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• *1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• *1/4 tsp kosher salt
• *2 eggs (if you are allergic to eggs, you could also use applesauce, which would be perfect in this recipe)
• *2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• *1 Tbsp Grass-Fed Butter (or coconut oil) 
• *About 1 1/2 Apples diced into small pieces 

For the cinnamon sugar, I combined 4-5 Sweet Leaf Sweetener packets (not drops) with about a tablespoon of cinnamon.

Mix all the ingredients (except the apples) together with a hand mixer. The dough should be slightly sticky and firm enough to roll into a ball. Fold in apples. Roll into balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball. In a deep pot, heat coconut oil to approximately 275 degrees, so it is slightly bubbling. Drop balls into oil, cooking each side for about 2 minutes, then flip!

Take them out of the oil when they are golden brown, Toss them onto a paper plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. As soon as they are slightly cooled, roll then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. And enjoy!  

Oink, Oink! Haylea. 

Waffle Time

Before I started making pancakes, I was all about the waffles. Waffles give you more of that crispy crunch than pancakes do, and sometimes you just want to break out your waffle maker. And that's exactly what I did this weekend. 

I had been craving waffles all week, and after an exhausting weekend, I knew that was just what I needed. A BIG, DELICIOUS WAFFLE! 

When I opened up my fridge I was a tad devastated. No eggs and no regular almond milk. But, that just gave me the opportunity to get a little creative and crank out an egg free recipe. 

These waffles were perfectly crispy and delicious. They had a hint of cinnamon, and were just sweet enough, that they didn't even need any maple syrup or sauce, although I indulged in a spoonful. 

Since I was so happy with the way these turned out, I am going to share my recipe with you today! 

First, here a couple different egg substitutions. I used a mix of both. 

*Flax Egg: 1T of flax seed/ 3T water. Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes, just until it is a little gooey. 

*Applesauce: 1C should do the trick (I used unsweetened with cinnamon)

Recipe

• 1C Blanched Almond Flour* 
• 1/2C Arrowroot Powder
• 2T Coconut Flour
• 1T Baking Powder
• 1/3C Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1C (+2T if batter seems clumpy) Almond Milk 
• 1-2 T of choice sweetener (I used coconut palm sugar)
• 1C Applesauce
• 1 Flax Egg
• 1t Vanilla
• 2t Cinnamon
• Sprinkle of Salt 

Combine dry ingredients. Add in wet ingredients, and mix with stand (or hand) mixer until combined. Oil waffle maker with coconut oil, and spoon batter with 1/2C. Top these babies with your favorite stuff and DEVOUR. 

Since I didn't have regular almond milk, I used the Dark Chocolate Almond Milk, and it gave it the most subtle hint of chocolate. 

Also, I like to use Blanched Almond Flour, because it makes your waffle less grainy, but if you don't mind that texture, Almond Meal will work fine too. 

I topped mine with bananas! What is your favorite waffle topping?

Enjoy!

Oink, oink! Haylea.

Chocolate Protein Pancakes

It's been like forever since I have posted, and I am SO sorry. I haven't made pancakes in nearly TWO WEEKS. How is that even possible?

I have been so busy (that's an understatement). 

I have been prepping for the maternity leave I am taking over for at the high school: AP Lit + English Honors = Mind Mush.

I have been working like crazy! Between school and the rec center, I don't have a life.

I have been prepping food every week for lunches and dinners, which leaves NO time for pancakes. 

But, this weekend, because I was obviously craving pancakes, I whipped up some chocolate protein pancakes. 

Super easy and simple. 

If you've got protein, you've got pancakes.

RECIPE:*

1/2 C Arrowroot Starch

1/2 C Potato Starch

3/8 C Almond Flour 

1/8 C Coconut Flour 

3 eggs

1 1/2 (+) C Almond Milk 
1/2 C Coconut Oil 

1t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder

1t Vanilla

Sprinkle of Salt

2 Scoops Chocolate Casein Protein 

And because it was Sunday I added a large scoop of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks. 

Combine all dry ingredients. Combine oil and milk, beat together, then add in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until smooth. Ladle onto griddle. Flip once bubbles start to form at the top of the pancake and edges look brown. 

These cakes are low in sugar, and HIGH in protein and deliciousness. 

Enjoy with a big glass of dark chocolate almond milk (my favorite right now). 

Oh, and indulge in a large stack of about 5, because why not?

Oink, oink! Haylea.

*I'm still not fond of this pancake flour mix, so I am still working out the kinks. Coconut flour is HARD to work with, so I was trying to limit the use. But it makes for super fluffy pancakes. Bear with me while I figure out the perfect mix! 

Ultimate Pi Day

Did you guys know that this past Saturday was ULTIMATE Pi Day!

3.14.15 

So, obviously, I made a Pi(e)! 

I was so excited to try out some flour mixtures to create my pie crust. I did a little research to find the best dry ingredients to wet ingredients ratio. Then, of course, I had to decide what to put into the pie. 

Marc isn't a big fruit pie fan. He's a texture freak, and hates eating chunks of things (like a pie). So, for him, I made a "Grasshopper Pie". 

I was a tad nervous about this pie. Mostly because I completely made it up. And it was the first pie I have ever made from scratch. 

But because I am fabulous, it turned out pretty darn amazing. Here's what I did.

Crust

*1 1/2 C Blanched Almond Flour 

*1/2 C Coconut Flour

*1/4 C Grass Fed Butter

*1/4 Organic Spectrum Shortening 

*2 Eggs

*2 T Ice Cold Water

*2 T Vodka 

To make the crust, begin by combining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then cut in the fats. Do this unit the flour resembles pea-sized balls. Then, add in the eggs, scrambled, as well as your liquid ingredients. Combine with hands so that you don't over mix. Wrap this in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (this makes the dough easier to roll out). 

Pre-heat oven to 400. Roll out dough so that it's about 12 inches in diameter. Lay over pie pan, and press in to form a crust. Mine started to tear, so I just pressed it in firmly, and added extra crust where it was thin in the middle. Prick bottom of crust with fork several times. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. 

*Side note: I did think my crust was a little "biscuit-y" tasting, so next time I may add a T of coconut palm sugar. 

Now on to the filling. This Grasshopper Pie was made by combining an Avocado Mousse bottom layer, with a Peppermint "Whipped Cream" top layer.

Avocado Mousse

*2-3 RIPE Avocados (Having them be a tad soft is VERY important. Mine weren't quite ripe enough, so it wasn't as fluffy as it could have been.)

*1/3 C of Cacao powder 

*1 t Vanilla

*1/3 C Almond Milk (I used Dark Chocolate Almond Milk)

(I also added about 2T of Chocolate Casein Protein Powder, but that is optional) 

Scoop into pie crust, and refrigerate. 

Peppermint Whipped Cream

The trick to this is to refrigerate your cans of coconut milk overnight!

*2 Cans of Unsweetened Full-Fat Coconut Milk 

*1 T Pure Maple Syrup 

*1 t Vanilla

*6-8 drops of Peppermint Essential Oils 

Drain most of the coconut water from the bottom of the can, only leaving a little to moisten the cream. Add both cans to a large bowl, and whip with electric hand mixer, or standing mixer, for about 3 minutes until slightly fluffy. Add the rest of your sweeteners, and whip again, until your cream forms solid white peaks (like egg whites). 

Spoon on top of your Avocado Mousse. Garnish with Enjoy life Chocolate Chips. Refrigerate until ready to serve! 

Oink, oink! Haylea.

Meal Panning 101

About 2 weeks ago, I vowed to dedicate this year to a complete Paleo lifestyle. I have done Paleo in the past, but haven't stayed strict for more than a couple months. Somehow I fall off the train, and revert to more of a gluten-free path. But cutting out ALL grains and dairy, has made me feel exceptionally well these last couple of weeks. I have more energy and just overall feel healthier. 

I am also trying to limit sugar/carb intake. I'll indulge a bit on the weekends, but overall I have been trying to stay away from sugar (that being unrefined sugar, or sugar that occurs naturally, such as raw honey or coconut palm sugar--two of my favorites). 

What helps me with this process and staying on the "train" is meal planning and prepping. I always had this idea that I would meal prep on the weekends, but somehow in the past that hasn't been a top priority, and I would end up eating whatever was quick. But sticking to meal planning and prepping is a HUGE help. Also, I love it. 

Some of my favorite sites to help me plan my upcoming meals are:

paleomg.com

brittanyangell.com 

stupideasypaleo.com

nomnompaleo.com 

Brittany Angell is a food allergy expert, and has some of the MOST delicious meals. I mean this girl knows how to still indulge and make food taste amazing, even when living with a plethora of food allergies. I would HIGHLY suggest becoming a "club member" of her site. For only $14.99 you have access to ALL of her recipes, get TWO of her e-cookbooks, and exclusive online coupons from some of the best paleo websites. 

Okay, paleo crush rant over. 

I've had some requests for recipes for some of my recent meals I have posted up on my instagram-- so here they are! 

Zucchini Parmesan

(http://brittanyangell.com/zucchini-parmesan-glutengrainegg-free-with-directions-to-make-dairy-free/)

Two suggestions I came across while making this: I did NOT heat my milk and starch mixture, and it still worked just fine. The first time when I did heat it, the mixture became TOO sticky, and was a complete mess. Also, I followed her dairy free instructions and bought the Daiya cheese. It is a weird texture, but melts just fine, and tastes great in this recipe! 

Chicken Zoodle Soup

I modified this recipe a tad from one I found on stupideasypaleo.com (her version is called Healing Chicken Soup).

For mine I used:

• 1 box of organic/gluten-free chicken broth
• 3 large carrots cut into about 2 inch slices
• 4 cloves of garlic sliced and roughly chopped
• 1T celery salt
• 1T oregano
• 6 chicken tenders

I just threw it all into my crockpot and let it cook on high for 4 hours. By the time I got home the chicken was starting to fall apart into chunks <--- that is how you know it's perfect! Then I took one large zucchini, peeled, and put it through my vegetti! It makes the best noodles! I added those to my crockpot and let it cook on high for another 30 minutes. 

Lastly, like I said earlier, sometimes I like to indulge. 

Cinnamon "Pull-Apart" Bread

This is an exclusive from the Brittany Angell Club, so I can't share the recipe, but I am working on ways to make it a tad differently. I struggled with the dough, and making it into layers, but nonetheless, it was still delicious! 

Let me know how your meal planning adventures go, and the names of your go to paleo meal planning sites! 

Also, I will be adding a recipe for chocolate strawberry protein pancakes to the blog later this week :) 

Oink, oink! Haylea. 

Snow Day + Blueberry Pancakes

I was looking forward to making pancakes all week. I have been waiting to try out my new flour mixture, and I was so excited to finally test it out. I was also super pumped to food prep all weekend. 

I put off going to the grocery store all weekend, although knowing it was supposed to snow Saturday night. I assumed the forecast would again be flawed and I would wake up to a dusting of snow. Boy, was I wrong. 

By the time I woke up, there was already about 6 inches of snow on the ground. And it just kept snowing. Like literally, all day. 

Luckily, it didn't amount to much more, and I convinced Marc to clean off the cars so we could venture out in this mess and get groceries! 

We made it to the store and back home, with no accidents and a trunk full of groceries, new Tupperware, and a veggeti (makes veggie noddles)! Oh, the little things! 

After prepping some delicious Italian meatballs, Brussels sprouts, and sweet potato mash- all thanks to Stupid Easy Paleo, I took on my next challenge: Blueberry Lemon Pancakes! 

Normally, this wouldn't be a challenge at all, but I despise working with coconut flour. I swear, I can never get the consistency right, and my batter always coagulates before going onto the griddle. Ugh! 

After being completely unsatisfied with my first batch of batter, dropping the entire bowl on the floor, and my griddle going ca-poot, I was not a happy camper. 

But I started over, from step one, and adjusted my wet ingredients a tad. Adding a couple more eggs and a splash of milk. 

My batter still is by no means perfect, but the final product did get a two thumbs up from Marc! (Although, he may be slightly biased, and love everything)

I topped these Blueberry Lemon Pancakes with a Blueberry Maple Syrup sauce...heavenly. It is the perfect addition to this cake!

Blueberry Maple Sauce:

2 ingredients, one simple step.

1/2 C frozen blueberries

1/4 C pure maple syrup

Combine both ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat. When syrup starts to bubble, reduce heat. Mash blueberries into sauce. Serve hot. 

Enjoy!

Oink, oink! Haylea.