Flavorful Paleo

Quinoa & Sweet Potato Stuffed Portobello 

You'll need:
6 portobello large or 8-10 small
2 cups cooked quinoa (prepare it with veg broth)*look for my quinoa post
3 sweet potatoes, peeled, and cubed 
2 T. olive oil, plus a little extra for a drizzle
3 cups green (I used kale and spinach)
Salt and Pepper

Method:
Heat oven to 450o (if you don't want to use the oven, use your stove top or your bbq, just make sure you wrap them in tinfoil)

Season sweet potato with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper and bake until golden. Toss them half way through the process so each side gets the love. 
Right before you pull the potatoes out, spread your spinach over the top of the hot potatoes and heat for about 2-3 minutes. 

Once spinach has wilted, remove everything from the pan and cool until veggies are easy to handle. 

In a medium bowl, mix quinoa, sweet potato and spinach and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

If you're using large mushrooms, scrape the gills before you stuff them with the mixture. Brush them lightly with olive oil and place smooth side down on the baking sheet. 

Fill the caps with a heaping spoonful of the quinoa/potato/spinach mixture. 

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through. Serve with a kale salad dressed with lemon juice, a smidgen of garlic, salt and pepper. 

Paleo Trail Mix photo and recipe courtesy of fitbomb paleo

16 oz. roasted, unsalted sunflower seed kernels
16 oz. raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
  8 oz. roasted, unsalted almond slivers
  6 oz. dried pineapple, cut up
  5 oz. dried flake coconut (I prefer to toast them if I have the time)

I serve my handful right on top of fage Greek or swimming in a bowl of coconut milk

Lemon Pound Cake (lower carb, paleo)

Dry
2 cups almond flour (Red Mill, reg grocery store)
1/2 cup coconut flour(Red Mill, reg grocery store)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 heaping tsp baking soda
Wet
2/3 cup raw honey, liquefied
2/3 cup coconut oil, liquefied
4 large or 5 medium eggs
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp full-fat coconut milk (Trader Joe's is the best brand)
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp lemon zest
Glaze
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp raw honey

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Use coconut oil to grease a 9x9 baking pan. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place it over the coconut oil.
Sift dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to combine.
Place oil and honey in the bowl of a food processor and process for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add coconut milk, vanilla, and lemon zest, and continue to process until well combined.

NOTE: This step can be done in a large bowl with a hand mixer.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Use a wooden mixing spoon to thoroughly combine ingredients, pressing out any lumps.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top will be lightly browned.
Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, run a butter knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake, and then turn it out onto a cake plate and let cool completely. 
While cake bakes, prepare the glaze by slitting vanilla bean lengthwise and scraping the beans into a small saucepan. Add the vanilla bean pod, lemon juice, zest, and honey to the pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Remove pod and discard.
Using a fork, poke holes in the top of the cake. Pour glaze over the cake, using a spatula to evenly distribute the glaze over the entire cake top. Let the cake rest for an hour to fully absorb the glaze. Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator.