I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Ahhh.
I could scream. We have had a really crazy week here. Last week my mom fell and fractured her tailbone. And this week, my sweet 98 year old grandma Alice, whom we named our daughter after, passed away on Monday. She was an absolutely amazing woman. I hope I can be half as strong, smart, and healthy as she was for so much of her life.
Oh and just to add to the week, my heart rate has been a little crazy and faster than normal, while at rest but especially while working out lately. So, I decided it might be worth checking out so I went in for a quick appointment with my Internist and he took lots of blood, a lung x-ray and an ECG. About 2 hours later I got a call that I needed to come back immediately to get a chest CT scan to rule out a PE. Of course I had no idea what a PE was until my friend said it was a pulmonary embolism. What?!?! 10 minutes later at the hospital, I started doing some research while in the waiting room. Don’t ever do research while waiting for a procedure. Apparently it is a blood clot and can be pretty scary. Anyway, long story short, no PE, thank goodness. Who knows, maybe it’s just stress. Anyway I hope to find out exactly what it is soon but in the meantime, when I am sucking wind at the gym, you’ll know why now.
So after all of this, my daughter wanted to make something to cheer me up and she really nailed it. I love that she can make food on her own now. It is such a treat. This ice cream is a family favorite now, and I know it will be enjoyed all summer long. It’s dairy-free, egg-free, and fantastically rich and creamy. You can do so many variations to this chocolate ice cream. My daughter decided to call this Rocky Roadless Ice Cream and man was it good! Salty almonds, with sweet creamy chocolate makes for an incredible combination. Mmmmm.
Alice also made another batch without nuts and we poured it in this glass before it was frozen solid and I swear it tastes just like a Wendy’s Frosty…but even better!!!
¼ cup dark chocolate (chips or shaved from a chocolate bar)
Instructions
Warm all the ice cream ingredients in a saucepan over a low to medium heat. Bring to a simmer and heat until most of the cocoa powder is dissolved (about 8-10 minutes).
Pour the mixture into a metal or glass bowl and then place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is cold.
Place the cold mixture in an ice cream maker (we have the Cuisinart one) and turn the machine on.
Allow it to churn for about 20-25 minutes (add chocolate chips and almonds about halfway though) or until the ice cream becomes solid.
We went to the beach last week and had such a great trip with the whole family! One night we went out to eat and a bunch of the kids got fried shrimp, fried fish, and even some fried alligator. After seeing all of that fried food, it put me in the mood for something similar. So, last night we had fried cod and it was amazing! I have been wanting to fry something with arrowroot but just kept forgetting. Anyway, now I don’t know why I waited so long. Crispy on the outside and the fish was super light and flakey, it was a perfect combination. And while a little messy, it was very easy to make.
This is what you need to make some fried (gluten free of course) fish:
Start by rinsing the fish in colander. Then pour 2 tbsp lemon juice over the fish and let it sit while you prep for the frying…
Get out two medium bowls. In one bowl, place 1 egg white and in the other, place 3/4 cup of arrowroot.
Next get the fish and shake it off to get it somewhat dry. Then cut the fish into 2″x2″ (or whatever size you’d like) chunks and place it in the bowl filled with the egg whites. Once it’s all cut, mix the fish and egg together with your hands so the fish is well coated. Then dip one piece of fish at a time into the arrowroot powder and cover it well and then place it on a large plate.
In a large fry pan, add 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil, lard or tallow (something that cooks well on high heat) and heat oil on medium high heat. Carefully place the pieces of fish onto the pan and let cook for 3 minutes or until brown. With tongs, flip the fish and allow it to cook for another 3 minutes. Add a little more oil here if needed. Once it’s done, use your tongs to carefully remove and place on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Pour another 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil in the hot pan and repeat the cooking process to cook the rest of the fish. Enjoy immediately!
Serves 4.
Oh, and if you’re looking for a Nutritional Consult, apparently there is a write up about one in this month’s issue of Atlanta Magazine! 🙂
Start by rinsing the fish in colander. Then pour 2 tbsp lemon juice over the fish and let it sit while you prep for the frying.
Get out two medium bowls. In one bowl, place 1 egg white and in the other, place ¾ cup of arrowroot.
Next get the fish and shake it off to get it somewhat dry. Then cut the fish into 2"x2" (or whatever size you'd like) chunks and place it in the bowl filled with the egg whites. Once it's all cut, mix the fish and egg together with your hands so the fish is well coated. Then dip one piece of fish at a time into the arrowroot powder and cover it well and then place it on a large plate.
In a large fry pan, add 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil, lard or tallow (something that cooks well on high heat) and heat oil on medium high heat. Carefully place the pieces of fish onto the pan and let cook for 3 minutes or until brown. With tongs, flip the fish and allow it to cook for another 3 minutes. Add a little more oil here if needed. Once it's done, use your tongs to carefully remove and place on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with sea salt. Pour another 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil in the hot pan and repeat the cooking process to cook the rest of the fish. Enjoy immediately!
Day 3 of my chocolate detox and my daughter decides to make chocolate muffins for my husband for Father’s Day. While it’s really sweet of her, it’s just not fair for, well,…me. There is no way to avoid them. And, let’s be honest, I can’t hurt her feelings. It’s not that I want to eat them….I HAVE to eat them, for her. I’m a good mom, what can I say?
So my daughter and I were talking, and I asked her the difference between a muffin and a cupcake? She came up with the following: one is a breakfast food. Hmm. Good point. Oh, and one has icing. Other than that, I’m not sure there is a difference.
So, while these these taste like really yummy cupcakes, I’d rather think of them as Father’s Day “muffins” for your Sunday breakfast.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup arrowroot powder (or almond flour)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 eggs (room temp)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (topping)
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together but make sure your eggs are room temperature or the coconut oil will clump. (Alternatively, if eggs aren’t room temp, you could always whisk eggs in a small bowl with other wet ingredients (except coconut oil). Then mix egg mixture with dry mixture, stir well, then add warm melted coconut oil to the entire mixture). Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Fold in dark chocolate chips (you can sprinkle some on top, too). In muffin tins, use your silicone muffin holders (worth every penny!) or paper cups or grease well with coconut oil and fill each cup up about 2/3 full. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until you can stick a knife in the middle and they come out clean. Makes 18 muffins.
And if you’re looking for a fun adventure for Father’s Day in Atlanta, the East Palisades area along the Chattahoochee is amazing! I’ve grown up here and somehow missed this place. Luckily for us, it’s only 10 minutes from our house. My buddy Erin would tell me about this place every time we would bike past it. Last weekend we finally decided to check it out and it was so much fun!!! Great hiking and there are fun water stops all along the way!
Check out Tate’s before (where his feet are) and his after (his legs). Why do boys love mud, water, and well, anything dirty!?
Such a neat place…
Anyway, I highly recommend it for a fun family Father’s Day activity. It’s right at the Harris Trail & Whitewater Creek Rd intersection. Here are detailed directions. The web page mentions pre-registering. I just glanced at it, but you don’t have to “register” for anything. Just make sure you have $3 to pay the park fee.
Have a fun Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there!
MARLA-DEEN-LOVE IT THERE!! WE WALK RIGHT THERE FROM OUR HOUSE NOW THAT WE’VE MOVED! SUCH A HIDDEN GEM. GREAT PLACE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND DOGS!ReplyCancel
Landria -Marla Dean, I’m so jealous that is your new backyard! Congrats on the house! Sounds like y’all are loving it!!ReplyCancel
Hannah Cousar -These are addictive! Olivia and I made them (double batch) and have eaten them every meal.
Saw you in the Atlanta magazine!!! Way to go.ReplyCancel
landriav -Aren’t they Hannah!?! So glad y’all liked them! And thanks re the article!! 🙂ReplyCancel
I got this new toy, a spiral vegetable slicer, for Christmas (yes I’m finally just now using it) and I absolutely LOVE it, as do my kids.
This is the one I got from Amazon (sorry for the tiny picture)…
It’s fun and super easy to use. And, it’s a great way to let the kids get involved in helping with dinner. For tonight, we used it to make noodles out of zucchini and curly-q sweet potatoes fries.
These noodles are great sautéed in some ghee with just salt and pepper but I know the possibilities with this are endless.
And, the sweet potatoes are great either roasted in the oven or fried in the skillet. Regardless of which way you want to cook them, all you need is 1 large sweet potato, some arrowroot powder (you can get this for about $7 at Whole Foods and some Publix also carry it) and some coconut oil.
Roasting your sweet potato fries…
Preheat your oven to 400F. In a freezer bag, place your spiral-cut sweet potatoes (1 large) and 1-2 tbsp arrowroot powder. Close bag and shake until well coated. Then add 2 tbsp of melted coconut oil to the potatoes and shake again to coat well. Next place the potatoes flat and evenly on baking pan and cook for about 15 minutes or until crispy. Be sure to spread them out well and also don’t cook too much at once or it will be harder to get crispy. If you use more than 1 potato, use an extra baking pan.
Fying your sweet potato fries…
They are also really great pan fried. Follow the same directions as above but don’t pour the oil in the bag. Instead, pour about 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a large hot pan. add the sweet potatoes and cook until brown and crispy, flipping them once or twice with prongs. Be aware though that they can get a bit messy if you don’t have a screen or cover for your pan. But man are they sooo good this way it’s worth the mess!!
Do you have one of these? What do you like to use it for? I would love some other ideas!
Melisa-I do have this same one but haven’t been able to cut sweet potatoes with it. They are so hard and I have to use so much force that I’m afraid it will break the thing, since it is plastic. Plus, it will not stay stuck to the counter when I push that hard. What’s your secret?ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Melisa! Honestly I thought the sweet potatoes were easier since they are firmer. I did use some force but not that much. The kids could even do it once I got it started. You just kind of have to push and turn at the same time. Hope that helps?? Oh and if it doesn’t stay stuck on the counter, try to put just a little water (or saliva) on the bottom. Maybe that will help. Good luck!ReplyCancel
My sweet, beautiful, strong and talented friend Heather Connell, author of MultiplyDelicious.com has come out with a new amazing book, Powerful Paleo Superfoods. This book is so great because it’s educational yet everything is explained in such a way that it is easy to understand. It also provides so many practical recipes that are simple to make from Avocado Tomato Tarts to Caribbean Citrus Roasted Sweet Potatoes. See what I mean? These are great creative twists on our familiar weekly staples.
In our household, we eat sauteed shredded brussels sprouts (in lots of ghee with onion powder, salt and pepper) literally 2-3 times a week. Yes, partly because you can get brussels sprouts pre-shredded from Trader Joe’s and they’re so easy to make, but also because they are delicious, and honestly, it’s my son’s favorite veggie. I will typically make them for lunch (add some protein) and save the leftovers for him for when he gets home from school. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t always want or eat veggies after lunch, but this just happens to be one of those random things that he loves so you better believe I’m going with it.
Anyway, Heather has a fabulous new spin on cooking brussels sprouts that—as of tonight— has become a new regular for us. It’s so simple yet packed with so much flavor!!! And not only am I excited to have a new staple, but now I also know, thanks to Heather and Powerful Paleo Superfoods, that brussels sprouts have 50% more vitamin C than an orange, more antioxidants than any other cruciferous vegetable, and contains lots of sulfur that can help the liver to detox and reduce inflammation. Now I feel even better about eating so many brussels sprouts! Anyway, here is her fabulous recipe for Apple Brussels Sprouts Slaw. I know you will love it as much as we do!
Apple Brussels Sprout Slaw
1 tbsp bacon grease (from the bacon from this recipe)
1 lb brussels sprouts, shredded (we used Trader Joe’s 10 oz. pack)
1 apple, finely sliced into matchsticks
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2-3 slices (of course we used 4) nitrate-free pastured bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until brown. Add the shredded brussels sprouts, apple, salt and pepper and stir to continue. Continue to stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are wilted down and start to turn golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir immediately.
Add the shredded brussels sprouts, apple, salt and pepper and stir to continue. Continue to stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are wilted down and start to turn golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir immediately. I hope you’ll love this recipe, and book, as much as I do! I know you will. You can get her book directly from Amazon here. It’s the perfect book to kick off the Summer!
1 tbsp bacon grease (from the bacon from this recipe)
1 lb brussels sprouts, shredded (we used Trader Joe's 10 oz. pack)
1 apple, finely sliced into matchsticks
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
2-3 slices (of course we used 4) nitrate-free pastured bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until brown. Add the shredded brussels sprouts, apple, salt and pepper and stir to continue. Continue to stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are wilted down and start to turn golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir immediately. Add the shredded brussels sprouts, apple, salt and pepper and stir to continue. Continue to stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are wilted down and start to turn golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir immediately.
Ann -Thank you for the great recipe and the heads up on a great book and paleo blog!ReplyCancel
landriav -Of course! Thanks for your comment Ann!ReplyCancel
Coleen -Landria, this looks delish! What brand of bacon do you use?ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Coleen, thanks! I typically use Trader Joe’s 40% leaner (only because I like the red meat on the bacon!)!ReplyCancel
Whitney -YUM! Can’t wait to try these, we love brussels. I may also need this book….ReplyCancel
landriav -It’s so good. Yall will love this Whitney!!ReplyCancel
Marie Smith-Three days ago I was on your website to refresh my memory on the chocolate chip recipe (we love it!), and I saw your blog on Heather’s brussels sprout recipe. My first thought, “Yuck! I ate brussels sprouts!”. . . but then I remembered how I *thought* that I hated asparagus, avocados and kiwi. . . hmmm, maybe brussels sprouts deserved my attention? The bacon convinced me. When I told hubby what I was making, he wrinkled his nose. I followed the recipe exactly! Gave him a small bowl, made a bigger one for myself (this was our breakfast) . . . and we both liked it! Much to our surprise. I even kept some as leftover and ate it cold the next day, and was really good. My tummy felt satisfied for hours! I love that it’s super food, so I figured I should make it again! The second time, I added some finely chopped onions in while browning the bacon. It made a huge difference! It really packed in the flavor and was so yummy! There was nothing left, and hubby gobbled it down with me!ReplyCancel
landriav -Love that Marie!!! Thanks so much for sharing. Goes to show, it’s always good to try and try again (and not just with our kids!). Thanks for the reminder for myself as well, and for the great suggestion. I will definitely try it that way next time. I m so glad you both liked it! 🙂ReplyCancel
Harriette Knight-This was delicious! My boyfriend is a slaw connoisseur and he loved it!! Easy to make. I actually had all the ingredients here, though I chopped up the bag of brussel sprouts. Next time I will add more apple, but it was a total hit!
Ashlee Russ-I loved this recipe so much that I literally had to make myself a second serving. I’m not the biggest fan of brussel sprouts. I’m usually an asparagus kind of girl, but then I figured if I can eat asparagus, then brussel sprouts deserve some attention too. The bacon definitely convinced me too, even though I try to eat it in moderation which is usually once or twice a month. I told my husband about what I was making and he didn’t think he’d like it, but he loved it so much that we both ended up making a second serving for ourselves! I’m definitely going to be trying out your other recipes as well. Thank you!!
landriav -Ha, Ashlee, that is great! And what I love about this recipes or ones like this, you don’t have to worry about moderation. Eat until your heart (and stomach) is content!! It’s the refined carbs, sugars, etc that we have to use moderation. So enjoy!! Thanks again for leaving a comment!ReplyCancel
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Oh, and if you’re looking for a Nutritional Consult, apparently there is a write up about one in this month’s issue of Atlanta Magazine! 🙂.jpg "Crispy Fried Fish Bites…")
.jpg "Stiritup.me chocolate chip muffins")
.jpg "Chocolate muffins and fun Father’s Day adventure idea…")
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