We have three more days left in our Whole30 journey as a family, where we have forgone all grains, legumes, dairy & sugars for 30 days. And I can honestly say that I have felt so much more invigorated since the arrival of Caprice. She is still not anywhere close to sleeping through the night,Continue reading “Apple & Sunbutter Sandwich Donuts”
Tag Archives: snack
Loneliness to Solitude to Healthy Sweet Potato Chips
Ben & I are doing another round of Whole 30. The second time around isn’t really that hard. I didn’t feel like I was kicking a habit (mentally or physically) like last time. If anything, I’ve simply been a little bored with it this time. I think this is partially due to the boredom, whichContinue reading “Loneliness to Solitude to Healthy Sweet Potato Chips”
Whole 30: Day 30 & Key Lime Pie Kamillebars
Well friends, today is day 30 of my 30 day challenge. It is officially over at 12:01 am, but I will avoid any temptation of getting out of bed for a glass of wine. These 30 days have been quite remarkable, in the physical yes, but even more in the emotional, mental & spiritual realm. It’s interesting when I tell people about this challenge, because there have been typical responses.
- Eyes pop out of their head
- They realize their eyes popped out and try to compose their facial expression to a more subdued look.
- Nodding of the head (as in I cannot believe you are doing this to yourself).
- The response, “Wow, you must have a lot of willpower,”
- Or my other favorite response, “That’s amazing (but I wonder if they really think I’m nuts), but I couldn’t live without…FILL IN THE BLANK!”
As for willpower. I guess if you asked my mom about me being a girl, if I had a strong will, she’d say yes. If you asked Ben the same, he’d probably agree. However, I think willpower is more about seeing the potential for something good and setting on the course to achieve it. It’s making choices everyday because you see the end goal. I make choices now as a mother to discipline my girls, in order for them to know of life’s consequences and how to have enough “willpower” to say no when faced with life’s bigger dilemmas (you know the ones that have catastrophic effects).
When I looked at myself in the mirror even three years ago, I didn’t see someone who was healthy or someone I wanted to be. But when you hit a place in health decline, whether that’s being overweight, chronic health issues, lethargic, etc, you can easily get so trapped and wonder, “How did I get here? And how do I get out?” This goes for any challenge in life, it just happens to be nutrition & exercise for me. And specifically, this 30 day challenge was a challenge; considering I love to bake and my shelves are overflowing with cookbooks. Yet, when I see myself now compared to the girl who walked into Jogo August 4th for a basecamp fitness introduction (ached for days), I remind myself of her. I see that girl and think, “that’s willpower, to get up at 5:30am to come workout, completely out of shape and all because she wanted better in life.”
Who would’ve thunk it? Certainly not me, but I’m SO VERY THANKFUL for it. In fact, it’s amazing how alive your taste buds are when you take away sugar for 30 days. Dates are simply ethereal (and a bit dangerous) and figuring out how to make my own Larabars were even more so. I first had a Key Lime Pie Larabar during the challenge, and I could have sworn there was cream cheese in it. The ingredients simply said: dates, cashews, almonds, key lime concentrate. I set out to do what any rational person would do…figure out how to make my own. And they’re good, really good! But, I’m warning you right now to only save a couple and share the rest, because 1. you’ll be sure to make friends that way and 2. you’re body will thank you later.
Key Lime Pie Kamillebars (printable recipe)
I have made these twice. The first time they turned out better than the second time, merely because the nuts didn’t get finely chopped in the food processor. I realized that the first round I used dates from Trader Joes, which were more dry. I think more dried dates work better in this recipe. While the second time I had these wonderful, soft dates from Costco. Due to the dates being quite soft, they pureed before allowing all the nuts to puree. So the pureed dates caused everything to stick without chopping.
Ingredients:
16 ounces dates (weight is based on dates with pits still in)
2 cups/225 grams raw cashews
1 1/8 cup/165 grams raw almonds
1 cup/80 grams unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp pure lime oil
3-4 key limes, juice OR juice of 2 limes (the kind you find at the grocery store)
Directions: Place cashews, almonds, coconut, & pitted dates into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the nuts are almost pureed, just not into a nut butter. You may want to pulse a couple times. Once the the nuts & dates are chopped well, add the lime juice & oil and pulse to combine. You will want the mixture to be a bit sticky. Taste to see if you need to add more lime juice.
Put in a 9×9 square pan, patting down evenly. You can slice fairly soon after. I cut mine into small squares; rather, than the traditional bar. If left out they will dry a bit. So cover them if you want to retain some moisture.
Paleo Day 3: Hazelnut Butter & Apple Slices
I made a Greek salad tonight for dinner (without that salty addition known as feta) with leftover pistachio crusted salmon, but the food I enjoyed the most was a small amount of hazelnut butter with a couple of apple slices. No picture, just get some hazelnut butter & cut up some apples, not too difficult–right!
While we’re on the topic of food (yes I have been dreaming about it lately)…I began thinking today, just prior to putting my girls to bed, how I would be watching Top Chef: Just Desserts tonight. Sounds pretty horrible, considering everything they make on the show I cannot eat; however, what was worst for me was the reality that I couldn’t even have a little chocolate while watching. But really, what was worst for me was the reality of how often I associate food with good times. I don’t think that’s always a bad thing, because I mean–didn’t Jesus perform his first miracle at a feast making wine. There is something to be said about a time of feasting, but what I realized is how often I add in “little feasts” everyday in my life.
When the girls go down for a nap I have the option of making an Americano or even a latte. I’m going to a conference this weekend with two friends, which means no partaking in any sweet treats, or a mocha on the drive to Seattle. My life (and most of ours) revolves around communing with food. Then, what got me thinking about this whole Paleo lifestyle is all the cookbooks I own and recipes left untouched. I began wondering, “Wow, what do I live for?” So many moments in my life are about feasting, indulging or treating self, but what about restraint? That’s a harder one. Granted, I’m in the thick of it and I just might feel different in two weeks (remind me of that when I get there, because I will see this to completion). How do we use food to bring people together, to feast, to abstain & nourish? How do you do it?
A Year Ago: Community Meals
Spicy Caramel Popcorn
This morning I made this wonderful Grapefruit Yogurt Loaf Cake, but I decided I would share with you this Spicy Caramel Popcorn recipe instead and save the cake for a later post. I made this for our small group, because it was quick, easy & I figured people could munch on however much they wanted to fill their hand (or hands) with.
When it comes to popcorn, I feel like I could call my mom the Popcorn Queen. Growing up we never had microwave popcorn in the house or a popcorn air popper. I always felt a little deprived not having the microwave hydrogenated oil goodness that most families produced out of their pantry. And thinking, “c’mon mom, can’t we be like normal families and get the popcorn out of a box–we’re the weird family!” But, secretly, I was glad to know my mom didn’t have to rely on Orville to get us through a movie night, because she knew how to add just the right salt/butter/popcorn ratio to the pot. And as we heard what sounded like BB’s pellet against the metal, we instinctively pulled out the yellow/orange rubbermaid bowl designated “the popcorn bowl” (or occasionally my handmade ice rink for my Barbie’s).
If you’re in the mood for sweet & salty, then try this one. There is a bit of a spicy overtone, but nothing that makes your mouth water. It’s also perfect for packaging up for gifts, but be sure to grab a handful or two for yourself.
Spicy Caramel Popcorn (printable recipe)
This recipe comes from The Craft of Baking, which I checked out from the library. I’ve really enjoyed this cookbook as the author encourages you to build from the recipes she gives and making them your own. After originally posting this recipe, my friend emailed with a question about the high heat to make the caramel and having a problem with it boiling over. See my notes at the end of the recipe.
Makes about 4 quarts
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3 Tb vegetable oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 Tb unsalted butter
- 1 ½ Tb kosher salt
Lightly coat two large heatproof rubber spatulas and a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels, cover, and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 4 minutes. Transfer the popped popcorn to the prepared bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.
In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and cayenne pepper.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt, and ½ cup water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden-yellow caramel, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up).
Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated.
Pour the popcorn onto a large baking pan and quickly flatten and separate it into small pieces while it is still warm. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once it is cool, store it in a well-sealed airtight container.
Caramel popcorn will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
My Notes:
- When making the caramel, the recipe says to not stir while having it on high heat. It is important not to stir caramel, in order to allow the sugar to “caramelize.” The sugar is going through stages and each of those stages cooks the sugar into a deeper color and deeper flavor.
- However, if you do not have a heavy bottom pot, you may encounter burning much too quickly, boiling over, or cooking much too quickly before you hit the 10 minute time given.
- The 10 minutes is a guideline, so pay more attention to color versus the clock.
- It’s okay to swirl the pan. This will distribute the color, keep the sugar from burning, and help you see what the true color of the sugar really is.
Backdoor Hospitality 