Banana Berry Smoothie Bowl

If you spend any time on Pinterest or Instagram and you live anywhere near the #paleo world, you've probably seen a thousand pictures of Smoothie Bowls.  And, like me, you've also read all the warnings about drinking your calories or relying too heavily on super sweet fruit-based meals.  Dilemma!

And so, nearly a year into my PaleoPlus diet - I had never made a Smoothie Bowl.  I've made tons of fruit and nut bowls.  And quite a few smoothies for my kiddos.  But never the official Smoothie Bowl.  Until last week.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

It was pretty delightful!

I needed a quick, kid-friendly dinner for my son and I and he was mired in homework and studying for a test.  (You may translate that to mean - in a less than pleasant mood.)  On 1 child/heavy homework nights - I don't ask what he wants for dinner - I just make dinner and he eats it.  The level of eye rolling and poking at unfamiliar vegetables changes based on what I am in the mood for or what is needing to be cooked up in the produce drawer before it goes south...but he's a teenage boy - he is always hungry, so he always eats!

We had a couple of nice days that got me outside to clean patio furniture and start planning my herb garden and I was in the mood for something light and fun.  *lightbulb*!  Smoothie Bowl.

My son would eat a Strawberry Banana Smoothie every single morning for breakfast if I let him.  So, that seemed like the logical place to start.

I also had a pint of these fat, beautiful organic blackberries from a recent trip to Sprout's that were calling my name.  Then I rummaged through my cupboard and found some nuts and chia seeds and set back a few strawberries to slice and a handful of blueberries (my very favorite snack these days).

It was so refreshing.  It was filling.  It was a treat without being too sweet.  And it was pretty!  It also got my son to eat chia seeds and blueberries (NOT his favorite snack!).  Since this first smoothie, I have been writing down all manner of combinations to try the next time it's just the two of us for dinner. 

As I've just admitted - I am a Smoothie Bowl novice - but I do have a foolproof recipe for the base that I will share.  The trick is to keep a zipper bag full of frozen, peeled overripe bananas in the freezer at all times!  I don't slice mine or anything - just peel them and lay them in a single layer in a freezer bag.  Overripe bananas are incredibly sweet - especially if you and your family are off refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.  Before we switched our diet - my kids wanted smoothies full of chocolate syrup or agave or sugar and now, just the fruit and some unsweetened nut milk is plenty sweet enough!  Very exciting!

Also, my blender is pretty darned good - if yours is mediocre at best - you might want to chop up the frozen fruit before you put it in the blender so you get the smooth consistency you are looking for and don't ruin your blade or motor.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl Base (makes 2 bowls-worth)

1 banana, unfrozen
2 frozen overripe bananas
8-10 frozen strawberries
small handful of blueberries or blackberries (unsweetened, frozen is best)
1/4 cup of unsweetened nut milk (I usually use full-fat coconut milk or cashew milk) - you can always add more if you like

Put the unfrozen banana in chunks and the nut milk into the blender first and give it a quick buzz.  Break up the frozen bananas into 3 or 4 pieces before adding them to the blender, then add the frozen strawberries and handful of blue or black berries and blend on low until thick and creamy.  You will probably have to stop the blender to stir and scrape down the sides as the bigger pieces are breaking up.  Be patient and DON'T overblend - it will end up too liquid-y to qualify as a Smoothie Bowl - it will still taste great, but the toppings will sink and you will lose some of the pretty-factor!

Pour it into a bowl and top with your favorite ingredients - I like some crunch, some creamy and some fruity sweetness.  You don't have to line it up - you can just dump it on, but if you want to have yourself a photo opp meal - put the ingredients in lines across the top of your thick, frozen smoothie base or work in circles from the inside out.  Take a picture, post it, tag it and then sit back with a big ole spoon and dig in!

Smoothie Bowl Topping Ideas

Sliced fresh fruit
Berries
Dried unsweetened (or fruit sweetened) fruits
Unsweetened Nut Butters
Sliced ripe avocado
Sliced or slivered nuts
Chia seeds
Hemp seeds
Flax seed
Goji Berries
Bee Pollen
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Fresh mint
Enjoy Life Chocolate chips
Raw Cacoa Nibs
Raw Local Honey

As with all ingredients - make sure you are checking your labels and buying the purest, natural items available.  Be careful of added sugars, nitrates, etc.  If you can't pronounce it - you probably shouldn't eat it!

Don't forget to try adding greens (spinach, kale, avocado, etc) to really up your vitamin intake.  As long as you are adding that overripe banana and some other fruit (ripe mango, pineapple, granny smith apples, peaches) you will keep the right touch of sweetness and please the whole family!  I have a feeling we are going to have these at least every couple of weeks through the crazy hot Texas summer months.  Never underestimate the joy of not having to turn on the oven when it's over 100° outside!

Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

I love cauliflower rice!  And I'm kind of surprised by that fact!

I made it a full 6 weeks into my Paleo Lifestyle before attempting cauliflower rice.  I tried cauliflower mash - because right after cake on my list of all time favorite foods came mashed potatoes.

I was not impressed.  And my kids were even less impressed.  It tasted exactly like cauliflower - and not the roasted cauliflower they liked...the steamed cauliflower I remember from my childhood...and not in a good way!

But, let's face it - a stir fry is the easiest dinner to pull together if you have a fridge full of chopped veggies and some chicken breast.  And we always put our stir fries over rice.  No noodles for us - we are a rice family.  So, I made some.  And, since the first Paleo cookbook I bought was Paleo Takeout by Russ Crandall, I was privvy to the best darned cauliflower rice recipe!  And that's the way I've made it ever since.

I'm not 100% sure of the rules of sharing a recipe from a published cookbook, but I can promise you this cookbook is an investment you should make.  I'll give you the basics or you can find a recipe on Pinterest or the internet - this is just so good!...and it only requires 5 ingredients - 1 head of cauliflower, 1 T melted coconut oil, 1 T fish sauce, white pepper and sea salt.  The hardest part is processing the cauliflower into rice-like bits...my food processor will only handle small quantities (maybe 1/5 of the head) at a time, but now that I love it - I take the time to do it right. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the "rice", stir, pour out onto a parchment line baking sheet and roast in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or so, stirring halfway through.  I actually run a fork back and forth through mine so it doesn't fly all over the place.

I usually make 2 batches and freeze one.  If you have room in your freezer to let it freeze on the sheet pan before putting it into a container or freezer bag, it will freeze perfectly and last for at least a month or two.  (Mine has never lasted longer than 2 weeks, I use it for a lot of different things!)

My new favorite side dish is Cauliflower Rice Pilaf.
 
All of my pilafs start the exact same way:


Basic Pilaf Base Recipe

Melt 1 T coconut oil (or your favorite Paleo oil) in a non-stick pan
Add 1/2 chopped onion or shallot (or scallion) and saute at medium low heat until softened (about 5 minutes)
Add 1 T of spice (see recipe ideas below) and 1 clove of finely minced garlic (optional), stir to combine and saute for another minute or two
Add 3 cups (or one batch) of cauliflower rice, stir and add 1/4 cup of bone broth (I always have chicken bone broth or chicken stock on hand)
Then you stir in your "pilaf goodies" (recipe ideas below), stir, reduce heat to low, cover and let the flavors steam together for 10 minutes or so.

After that - you can crank the heat up and turn this into a stir fry and get some good brown crust on your rice, but you have to stay vigilant or it can burn in a hot second!  It really depends on what you are using the cauli rice for and what you are in the mood for!  I like softer, steamed pilafs for most of my dishes, but if I'm tossing everything in a pan - leftover chicken and veggies, for example - I like the crispier, stir-fried version.  Up to you!

Here are my  three favorite "pilaf goodie" combinations:

Apricot Almond Pilaf 

1/2 cup of chopped dried (sugar free) apricots
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
1/4 cup of  golden raisins
1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pistachio Dried Cherry Pilaf

1/2 cup of chopped dried (sugar free) sweet cherries
1/2 cup of chopped pistachios
1 T orange zest
Juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mushroom Kale Rice Pilaf

1 cup sliced mushrooms & kale, sauted in ghee - this requires you to have leftover sauteed mushrooms and kale (you can substitute spinach) OR you can use a separate pan and saute the mushrooms and kale before you start the pilaf (I saute kale, spinach, mushrooms and onions every week as part of my meal prep)
1/2 cup of roasted, chopped walnuts
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t each garlic and onion powder
1 pinch of dried red pepper flake

You can play around with all you favorite flavor combinations - citrus zest and juice with chili powder and cilantro, dried pineapple with basil and macadamia nuts with a touch of ancho chili powder and coconut sugar, or use any leftover roasted non-root veggies (chopped) with chopped pecans and tons of black pepper.

A lot of times, I will let the protein I am serving be the inspiration for what I toss in the pan - but sometimes, I know exactly what pilaf I am craving (the apricot almond is my current obsession) and I spice my chicken or turkey or salmon accordingly so the pilaf can be the star!  (By the way - the mushroom kale pilaf makes a beautiful bed for bison burgers treated with nothing more than sea salt and black pepper....sorry, I get carried away not just when I'm cooking, but also when I thinking about cooking or talking about cooking or typing about cooking!!!!)

Quick shopping tip - if you have a Trader Joe's, they have the best selection at the best prices of sugar free, raw and organic dried fruits and nuts.  Eating Paleo turns you into a label reader and expert shopper pretty quickly - but if you're new to this - this is my gift to you!  HEB, Central Market, Sprouts and Whole Foods carry these items too...but many times, I have found them to be more expensive and not always available.

I hope you enjoy these Cauliflower Rice Pilaf ideas - and as always - please leave a comment with your questions or favorite flavor combinations.  #eathappy

Stress Eating

After nearly a year of eating clean.  After nearly a year of breaking up totally with refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.  After nearly a year of feeling my best - I had a bout with stress eating.

It. Was. Awful.

I don't stress about much.  I worry, don't get me wrong.  I obsess, even.  I tend toward perfectionism in many things.  But I don't stress.  Not for years.  What good does it do?  I'm not sure if I have a deep, well-thought-out opinion on fate or predestination or anything.  But I do believe things happen for a reason and you'll be a happier person if you take what you are given and make the best of it.

All that to say, that a series of events - and I mean one thing right after another - in the past 10 days have pushed me to stress eat.  And bite my cuticles (a habit I thought I had beaten some 3 years ago).

It's midnight, and I'm up.  Not because of stress, but because of the adverse effects of a bunch of junk in my body.  I am so used to eating only healthy, wholesome, real Paleo foods, that any stray from my usual fare upsets my system.  I might get a little bloated or have a less-than-pleasant bathroom experience when I eat something that isn't what I'm used to, but in the past, it has been rare and I have recovered quickly.

My theory is (and I have no research or scientific evidence to back this up...did I mention it's midnight?) that I keep my system free of all the potential inflammatory foods, all the preservatives, all the insulin-spiking sugars and artificial sweeteners and when I choose to go off plan for pizza - which is the one thing I will gladly suffer for!, I bounce back because it's in and then it's out.  And I am back on track the very minute the pizza is gone.

But this time - it's been a bit of this and a bit of that and it's piling up in my body.  I can feel it!  I had pizza and then I had a rice cracker or two.  And then I ate some cashews that were roasted in some oil that I can't process anymore.  And then I had a handful of popcorn.  Then half a dinner roll.  And then .... eek... and then.  And THEN it was my son's birthday and I made cake and bought ice cream - full dairy Blue Bell (the greatest ice cream at the grocery store) ice cream.  He's 17 and although he eats what I make him, he is a bit of an athlete and 100% teenager and expects cake and ice cream on his birthday! 

So, after 10 days of stress eating, I ate a big ole slice of cake and a monstrous scoop of ice cream...twice!

And I am paying the price.

*I stopped typing here about 4 days ago because I was so tired I thought I was going to fall asleep in the chair....*

Here we are 4 days after the birthday cake food orgy and I am in recovery!  Thank goodness!

I knew the morning after my midnight keyboard rant that I had to get my diet back under control.  I have been so deliberate about everything I cook and eat for the past 4 days and I am finally starting to feel like myself. 

I have been suffering from the worst pain in my knees and rotator cuff.  Stuffy sinuses.  Flat hair.  Bendy nails.  Gas.  Bloating.  And not sleeping for crap!

But after just 2 or 3 days of Paleo eating, I was sleeping like a baby again - all through the night (such a joy!).  All of the inflammation in my joints is gone - except my bothersome knee that enjoys causing my problems more than it should, but it is SOOOOO much better.  I am no longer bloated and I believe all the nastiness is out of my body.  I am still a little stuffy, but I am clearly on the path back to good health.

My lightbulb moment?  That eating clean, wholesome, real food that follows a Paleo diet is about so much more than weight loss!  Surprisingly, I didn't gain any weight during all of this stress mess, but I felt lousy.  I wonder if allowing myself the pizza during a time of stress weakened my resolve and let me slide a little too far down that slippery slope?  Or if a year just isn't enough to totally break up with sugar and the emotional habit of stress eating? 

Whatever the case, I am so thankful that I was able to stop before I went back to all my old unhealthy habits.  If I hadn't had this past year to enjoy the benefits of clean eating, I am certain I could have easily gone through the drive-thru or grabbed a diet soda or one of the sugar laden coffee drinks I used to need every afternoon. 

Cleaning out my system of all the addictive foods, fats, preservatives and sugars has put me in control for probably the first time in my adult life!  Once an addict, always an addict, I guess - but I was able to recognize it, make better choices and get back to health.  I'm kind of proud of myself!

I share this because I know quite a few people who have started and stopped "dieting" over and over and over.  I even know people who struggle going 100% Paleo for that all-important first 30 days.  And I want everyone to know that there are HUGE rewards in store for you if you can just eliminate all the grains, gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, refined sugars and artificial sweeteners for 30/60/90 days beyond losing a bunch of weight.  Health and vitality and great hair days and self-confidence and the feeling of being in control.  A lightness and feeling 10 years younger and physical abilities that I thought were lost. 

It's worth it to try ... or to try again!  And I can say without a doubt - it's NOT worth it to stray and go back to your old habits.  No cracker or piece of cheese or dinner roll or piece of cake is worth feeling yucky. 

I will still eat pizza every month or so - it's my choice and now I am certain that I can do it without a lot of consequences IF I eat clean, eat pizza and get right back to eating clean.  The saying goes, "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle" and the saying is 100% right!

Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup

There is something about soup....it's comforting.  It's convenient.  If you do it right - it only dirties one pan!  It's warm (unless it's cold, but that's a post for July or August!).  I own soup bowls that sit perfectly in the palm of my hand, hugged against my chest when I'm curled up in the big chair by the fireplace.

And yes, I know I live in Texas, but once you've lived here for a few years, 60 degrees IS cold enough to need a piping hot bowl of soup and a fire!

So, these past few weeks, I have been playing around with recipes from my old BP (before Paleo) binder to see if they could be modified and still be delicious.  I have had great success with my chilis and my butternut squash soup, so I decided to have a go at a Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe that I got about 20 year ago from an amazing cook I took step aerobics with 'back in the day'!

I tried a couple of different combinations before it hit me - I should adopt the same elements that make my root vegetable mash so wonderfully yummy...parsnips and a teeny, tiny organic russet potato.  (I call my cooking PaleoPlus primarily because I am not opposed to using the occasional russet...I have teenagers who will eat cauliflower and rutabagas and sweet potatoes if I toss in just a smidge of regular potato (and I mean a smidge...just a taste makes all the difference and I don't use it in everything)!  Besides,  I have a long, personal relationship with the lowly potato...we're not ready to break up just yet!)

Success!

My first screaming success pot of this soup made over 3 gallons... and most of you won't ever want to make over 3 gallons of soup, no matter how big your freezer!  So today, I broke it down into a regular pot of soup (it makes just over 2 quarts, so nice big bowls for a family of four with a bit left over for lunch the next day), measured the heck out of every ingredient and wrote it down so I could share it...here is the recipe...

"Cream" of Broccoli Soup (non-dairy)

Ingredients

2 pounds of broccoli (I bought crowns)
1 medium to large parsnip, peeled and sliced
1 small organic russet potato, peeled and cubed
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large leek, sliced/washed - the white and light green parts
4 cups of chicken stock or bone broth (homemade is best!)
1 can of full-fat coconut milk
1 T avocado oil
2 T of ghee
Salt and Pepper

Wash all your veggies and chop them up.  I sliced the stems of the broccoli in 1/4" - 1/3" slices and separated them from the tops (which I chopped).  I cut the leeks down the middle and then sliced them into 1/4"-1/3" slices, using only the white and light green parts.  I peeled and cubed the potato and sliced the parsnips and minced the garlic cloves.

In a large dutch oven/pot over medium low heat, add the avocado oil and 1 T of the ghee.  Once the ghee has melted, add the parsnip, leeks, broccoli stems and the potato, salting liberally with sea salt, and sweat them for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until they soften.  Add the garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the broccoli tops and stir everything together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken stock and coconut milk and combine.  Turn up the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.  As soon as the soup starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. 

Use an immersion blender to blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Taste for seasoning and stir in the last T of ghee for richness.

If I hadn't made it myself, I would never know there wasn't any cream in this soup.  The parsnip and the tiny potato work magic in making this into a homey, velvety cream soup without the dairy (and for me - all the problems that come with eating dairy!)

From start to finish, this soup takes an hour and uses one pot, a good knife, a cutting board, an immersion blender...and a lot of spoons!  Enjoy!