On Paleo, similar to the Weston Price plan, we have experienced: weight loss, decreased joint pain, less bloating, no gastroinstestinal problems, more bowel regularity, clearer skin, more energy, not a ton of cravings and my allergies have improved! There are a lot of benefits, all of which are predicted by Robb Wolf in his book The Paleo Solution. I hadn't seen my trainer for couple weeks since vacation and he was staring at me in confusion (since it had only been 2 weeks and I work out every week). He asked, "How much weight have you lost since I last saw you?" 6 lbs! Apparently you can really see it in my face. Don't get me wrong, I'm not actually dealing with any real weight problems, but these small changes are obvious and I feel better. My trainer said, "Just goes to show-- it's all diet." This was a little reference to the fact that I have consistently worked out and not seen a huge difference, until I stopped eating candy (stop the presses! shocker! not eating candy improves chances for weight loss!)
Today's post is just to give me a bookmark for some of the treats I've been making. Some of these treats are not approved for first 30 days of Paleo Solution (or by Robb Wolf in general), but they are still a far cry from Betty Crocker, and fit within Weston Price guidelines (except for the Truvia... but I usually use raw, unrefined, green stevia). I know that any of these sweeteners, including artificial, are the cause of most problems, but I'm trying to find a balance between rigid dietary guidelines and taking in the sweet things in life (metaphorically and literally).
This week's delicious desserts:
Melon "Sorbet" (<-- full recipe here)
This one is solidly paleo (don't add sugar!). The weekend was really hot and we were dying for ice cream, but we can't have any... so we were desperate and when there's a will, there's a way. I had a really ripe cantaloupe, I cubed it, stuck the cubes in the freezer (in a bag); when frozen I tossed cubes in food processor (blender would work too), added a touch of coconut milk to get some good quality fat in it (and a creamy texture), I pureed it and Voila-- ice cream!! It didn't need sugar, or stevia because the cantaloupe was so ripe. This would work with other melons too.
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| Sugarless, Non-dairy Cantaloupe "Ice Cream" |
Chocolate "Cake" with Chocolate "Pudding" Frosting (<--full recipes in links)
We had a friend come by for dinner the other night and I decided to make a dessert of pudding to follow our very paleo dinner. Then today, it was a friend's b-day and I wanted to make her a cake! I know she's health conscious, so I thought it should be a guilt free treat (guilt on one's birthday sucks). Ok, well this "pudding frosted cake" requires a leap of faith, and some imagination to enjoy... although it is quite good in its own right, and is deceptively chocolate-cakey, it doesn't hold a candle to Betty Crocker. Let's get real. I see all these paleo/gluten free blogs saying: my black bean brownies and my avocado chocolate pudding are tasting better than the traditional, "the best ever" but seriously?? Denial is not a river in Egypt. This is yummy, but let's stay realistic-- there's no sugar and no flour and no dairy! That said, it's pretty good for you, and I am willing to argue that if you run a cost benefit analysis on health benefits between this versus Betty Crocker, this one would win in nutrients and therefor: flavor! The flavor experience of mainstream chocolate cake is just not worth the long term losses to health. See Robb Wolf's blog discussions on insulin intolerance (here's one of many) to fully understand why you have a persistent muffin top and feel crummy and tired.
The cake recipe is in the link above, and the frosting is actually the recipe for chocolate avocado pudding that I thought would be a great stand in for frosting (can you believe the cake in the picture is covered in avocado!?) Somehow, eating a whole bowl of this avocado pudding just wasn't what I expected, even though it is quite yummy on it's own; it's better as frosting. As far as the recipes go, I don't use agave; that shit is hype. You're better off using raw honey or even maple syrup for the nutrients, but all of them still give you an insulin hit that will hit the muffin top. Robb Wolf recommends no sweeteners at all, but occasional stevia, and I use the raw green stuff. It's kinda weird and herbal tasting, so for this batch, I used Truvia (which is 0 calories and refined, but tastes great and still reduces the insulin hit). That said, I'm not the poster girl for Truvia... all artificial sweeteners are trouble, just like the rest of the sugars.
Happy Birthday J!
We had a friend come by for dinner the other night and I decided to make a dessert of pudding to follow our very paleo dinner. Then today, it was a friend's b-day and I wanted to make her a cake! I know she's health conscious, so I thought it should be a guilt free treat (guilt on one's birthday sucks). Ok, well this "pudding frosted cake" requires a leap of faith, and some imagination to enjoy... although it is quite good in its own right, and is deceptively chocolate-cakey, it doesn't hold a candle to Betty Crocker. Let's get real. I see all these paleo/gluten free blogs saying: my black bean brownies and my avocado chocolate pudding are tasting better than the traditional, "the best ever" but seriously?? Denial is not a river in Egypt. This is yummy, but let's stay realistic-- there's no sugar and no flour and no dairy! That said, it's pretty good for you, and I am willing to argue that if you run a cost benefit analysis on health benefits between this versus Betty Crocker, this one would win in nutrients and therefor: flavor! The flavor experience of mainstream chocolate cake is just not worth the long term losses to health. See Robb Wolf's blog discussions on insulin intolerance (here's one of many) to fully understand why you have a persistent muffin top and feel crummy and tired.
The cake recipe is in the link above, and the frosting is actually the recipe for chocolate avocado pudding that I thought would be a great stand in for frosting (can you believe the cake in the picture is covered in avocado!?) Somehow, eating a whole bowl of this avocado pudding just wasn't what I expected, even though it is quite yummy on it's own; it's better as frosting. As far as the recipes go, I don't use agave; that shit is hype. You're better off using raw honey or even maple syrup for the nutrients, but all of them still give you an insulin hit that will hit the muffin top. Robb Wolf recommends no sweeteners at all, but occasional stevia, and I use the raw green stuff. It's kinda weird and herbal tasting, so for this batch, I used Truvia (which is 0 calories and refined, but tastes great and still reduces the insulin hit). That said, I'm not the poster girl for Truvia... all artificial sweeteners are trouble, just like the rest of the sugars.
Happy Birthday J!
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| Flourless, Gluten free, Sugarless, Non-dairy "Chocolate Cake" |
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