Paleo Health and Wellness Challenge
Start/Finish:
1/2/12 - 3/1/12 (benchmark retest day will be on 3/5/11
It is important that you are at the gym on the first and last day of the challenge.
Link to the most current benchmark and point tracking HERE
Entry Fee:
$20. Sign up at the gym
About:
This is not a weight loss competition, while weight loss will be a portion of your final result, this challenge is a way to better health, performance, and a longer happier life.
Photos:
All participants will be required to take before and after photos. For men this is will be with a shirt off, for women some sort of sports bra or something where the abdominal area can be seen. These photos will be stored away on our computer and will only be viewed at the end of the challenge. The only photos that will be displayed are those that finish top 3 in the challenge.
Photos – Back and Front Double Bicep Pose
Weight:
All participants will be weighed before and after the challenge. You will be ranked by percentage change in bodyweight. To keep this as accurate as possible we suggest you come in during the same class time on the first day of the event and last day of the event, and wear the same articles of clothing.
Weight change will be based off of starting weight.
Example:
Starting weight: 200lbs
Ending weight: 185lbs
Net Change: 7.5%
Performance:
On the first and last day of the challenge we will be doing 3 benchmark tests. Each benchmark will be weighted equally, and an average percentage change will be used to rank each individual on the benchmark performance. It is important that if you scale any of the benchmarks you use the same scaling when we retest at the end of the challenge even if you no longer need that level of scaling.
Benchmark # 1:
Benchmark # 2:
Benchmark # 3:
All benchmark changes will be based on percentage change with the first test being the base.
Example:
Benchmark # 1: 250lbs to 275lbs = 10% change
Benchmark # 2: 10 pull-ups to 13 pull-ups = 30% change
Benchmark # 3: 360 seconds to 342 seconds = 5% change
Final Result: 15% net change
Nutrition:
The final component of the rankings will be nutrition and what you put in your body. While all 4 components of the challenge will be weighted equally, the nutrition component will be the most important as it will play the largest role in positive change in the 3 other categories. There will be a large white board in the front lobby of the gym where you will be able to track your daily points. Ranking for the nutrition component will be based on points, whoever has the most points at the end of the 45 days will be ranked in 1st for the nutrition component. Again this is a paleo challenge, this means meat, veggies, fruit, nuts, and seeds. No dairy, legumes, refined sugar, or grains. You will be allowed 2 cups of coffe a day, a cup being 6oz (you may have addiontal cups if the coffee or tea is decaffienated). If you need clarification on where something fits, please ask.
I know we have at least 1 vegetarian in the gym and we would like all of you who follow this lifestyle to jump in on this. For those of you who are vegetarian you will follow the paleo diet and add dairy to the diet, but not all dairy. If you are taking this road you will be allowed hard cheeses (low in lactose), milk (preferably raw), greek yogurt (none of that sugar filled fruity crap that lines the grocery store), and cottage cheese. Of course as a vegetarian you should make sure to get a good supplement of eggs, 4 or more a day. The reason for adding the dairy to paleo for vegetarians is so that you can get complete proteins from more than just eggs, most of you don’t want to eat a dozen or more eggs a day so you can supplement your protein intake with dairy based products. The rest of the paleo diet applies, no grains, legumes, refined sugar, etc.
By nature the paleo diet is low in carbohydrates, high fat, and high in protein. Now we don’t want you to get to carried away with your exact macronutrient profile, but here are couple of guidelines. Don’t worry about how much fat you are eating, contrary to what our government and most modern medicine says, it’s just 45 days, don’t worry about your fat intake and see what happens…with that said don’t make it a point of living off of chicken wings, prime rib, avocados, and nuts, but don’t worry about making those foods a regular part of your diet. Don’t eat too much fruit, 3 pieces a day, 4 if you’re a large person, while fruit is good and natural it is still loaded with sugar, and no fruit juice, doesn’t matter if it is the purest stuff you can find, a glass will make up most of your carbohydrate intake for the day. Eat lots of veggies, especially leafy greens, they’re the best. Be wary of your root vegetables, sweet potatoes are great but don’t find yourself eating large portions of them every day. Try and stick to leaner cuts of meat, but again don’t worry if you eat fatty ones. Aim for 1 gram of protein per day per pound of bodyweight. Try and keep your carbohydrate intake to around 100 grams, another 50 or so if you are training more than once a day, or have a super hard workout.
Scoring:
You will be required to keep track of your eating in some sort of medium…computer, notebook, journal, phone, etc. From this log, you will give a daily score of 0-10 based on your compliance with the Paleo Diet. A score of TEN would represent a day of eating like a true hunter gatherer; nothing but meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds.
It is important if you do have something off the diet that you pay attention to a serving. For example most condiments, peanut butter, etc a serving would be comprised of 2 Tablespoons, a beverage would be measured by 8oz for a serving, a slice of bread would be a serving, a grain like rice would come in 2oz to a serving, etc. Again if you are super unsure of something please ask, and if you know the serving size but are unsure of exactly what you ate, lean on the high side as most don’t realize how large the portions of food are that they eat.
1 point off for every serving of: Bacon, sausage, deli meat (bacon and other meats are okay if they are all natural uncured, example being VT Smoke and Cure), beans, hummus, peanuts (yes these are legumes), agave, maple syrup, honey, salt (pre-salted foods, you may use spices and small amounts of salt to cook), peas, coffee (each cup in addition to your daily allotted 2 cups) most salad dressings (store bought, get in the habit of making your own, olive oil and vinegar and mustard).
2 points off for every serving of: Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, butter), soy products, quinoa
3 points off for every serving of: Cereal, grains, wheat, oats, corn, tortilla chips, bread, rice, pasta, noodles.
4 points off for every serving of: Soda (diet and full sugar), juice, sports drinks, potato (sweet potatoes are OK), fried food, chicken wings (store bought, homemade, un-breaded ones are fine, baked, grilled, fried in olive oil), most restaurant appetizers, cookies, baked goods, ice cream, frozen yogurt, sweets, pancakes, ketchup, processed marinades, BBQ sauce, sugar added dried fruit, beer, wine and all alcohol drinks, pizza.
Note: If you are going off the reservation, it’s important to know how many servings you are eating…for example, 1 can of soda is 1.5 servings. This means that if you drink an entire can you’d be losing 6 of your 10 points for the day.
Bonus Points:
There is a potential for 7 extra bonus points per day.
1. You get one extra bonus point for everyday you participate in a CrossFit workout. The benefits of Paleo are magnified when combines with a training program that combines constantly varied, high intensity, functional movements. Train Hard. Eat Clean. Live Life. You can receive up to 2 points a day here, if you are training twice a day 2 points are given out, this is the cap though, no more than 2 points a day for training.
2. You get one extra bonus point for everyday you consume at least 3 grams of Fish oil (this means 3g or 3000mg of EPA and DHA. You need to pay attention to how much EPA and DHA is in your source. For example I use the cheap Costco fish oil capsules, while each capsule is 1000mg, it only has 300mg of EPA and DHA. So for me to get 3g of fish oil a day I need to take 10 of those capsules). One of our biggest goals with this challenge is to reduce Silent Inflammation. Silent inflammation is far more insidious than classic inflammation because it is at the molecular level and may not be detected until it’s too late! It doesn’t generate the pain associated with classic inflammation and therefore goes untreated for years or even decades. Virtually every type of chronic disease (heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s) has a significant inflammatory component as its underlying cause. Silent Inflammation is the first sign that your body is out of balance and no longer well. You can’t feel it, but it is grinding down your heart, your brain and your immune system. Your weight and health are greatly determined by how well you control the inflammatory process.
3. You get one extra bonus point for everyday that you perform mobility and stretching work for more than 20 minutes (you Yoga goers get an extra point a day for going to Yoga).
4. You get one extra bonus point for every night that you sleep 8 hours or more (must be one session of sleeping).
5. You get one bonus point for brining some sort of post workout nutrition to the gym containing 30-45g of protein and 30-45g of carbohydrates and consuming it immediately upon completion of class. You can only get 1 point a day for this, you can't receive 2 points for 2 post workout meals.
6. You get one bonus point for drinking 1 gallon of water or more a day. You don't get two points for 2 gallons.
Total Daily Points:
First and foremost you can't have a negative day in points, the lowest you can get for a day is 0 points. With that being said you can lose more than 10 points. If for instance you received 4 bonus points for the day leaving you with 14 points and then ate food that would net you 20 points points off you would lose all 14 points.
Post Workout:
Post workout is the one time we will allow a slight deviation from Paleo. If you are unable to stomach solid foods after training a protein drink is a great alternative, if you are able to stomach whole foods by all means bring in a chicken breast and sweet potatoes. For fast and complete recovery we suggest a post workout protein shake and some sweet potatoes. You should mix the protein with water (aim for 20-45 grams), and eat 3-9 ounces of sweet potatoes. If your primary goal is to decrease body fat and get leaner skip the potatoes. If you just finished “Murph”, “Eva”, “Badger” or other 25+ minute intense workouts, go higher on the starches to replace glycogen. Your performance the next day is dependent on it.
The Winner and Rankings:
At the end of the challenge the top 3 participants will be ranked based on the 3 above categories.
Prizes:
We are taking a small piece of the entry fees. Money will be distributed in the following manner. CVCF 10%, 1st place will receive 50% of the total entry fees, 2nd place 30%, and 3rd place 10% We are hoping that everyone in the gym jumps in on this, if so, that’ll leave $600 or more going to first place.
End of Challenge Scoring:
Each participant will be ranked in each one of the 3 categories. The final rankings will be judged by the net score of all 3 categories, the goal is to have the lowest possible score.
Example:
If you finished 3rd in Weight Change, 10th in Performance, and 15th in Nutrition, your final score would be 3 + 10 + 15 for 28 points. Your final ranking would be based on where your 28 points fits in with the rest of the participants. Lower the score the better.
Paleo Health and Wellness Challenge # 1 Highlights - 1/17/11-3/2/11
55 comments:
Can't wait! Making my grocery list now. Have been weening myself of Starbucks (think of the $$ I will save!) Getting out the blender (for smoothies) and food processor (for making mayo and salad dressings). Only 1 point for yoga? Geez. (joke!) Really tho, can't wait to share this experience with all our members! - Betsy
So any points lost for mayo, or sugarfree gum? Also how are coconut products handled, specifically coconut water, is it basically a fruit juice?
Cant wait for the challenge!
Something like mayo is OK if you make it yourself...pre-made mayo's are loaded with soy/corn oils, and tons of preservatives. If you can find one that is made with olive oil and not loaded with crap it's good, my suggestion is just too make it from scratch.
Coconut stuff is totally good, coconut oil, etc. Again with this look at the label. Some coconut water is fine, while others have sugar added to them, if you find one without sugar added it's all good, same goes for coconut milk.
and no gum, it's a point off per serving.
I see bacon on that list. Is it the salt content? If it is the salt content does smoke cured pork belly that I smoke myself count... just want to keep this an honest competition and I love bacon.
Chris, yes that is salt content...so for you if you smoke it yourself you are all good, for those who are bacon lovers and willing to spend the $7 or so a pound you can also do the Vermont Smoke and Cure bacon which is damn good stuff. Keeps the comments coming guys, if you are unsure of anything please ask.
What about energy gels, shot blocks, etc? I use these during distance runs, as well as for my post workout recovery...
Protein shakes are good too right?
Jade, I suggest putting aside and hour after a WOD sometime next week and clearing up any questions people have.. I suspect a lot will be headed your way..
O and Honey post workout should definitely be minus no points.
Bry
We'll try and answer all questions here...if we do it post WOD not everyone will be able to attend. Sorry no go on the honey, even post WOD, stick to some sort of fruit or sweet potato. At least you can think of it this way, if you do a post WOD shake, and do it with honey you gain a point for the post WOD shake and lose one for the honey, so the net is no lost points.
Shot blocks and the like are points off, they are refined sugars, we want you eating whole foods not processed stuff, 1 point off per serving of that stuff. Protein shakes are fine as we don't expect you to scarf down a chicken breast immediately after a workout, although it would be ideal.
Jade, how is canned tuna? i like the tuna packed in water.
Would it be possible to make and exception with the honey post workout Jade? I read The Paleo Diet, and Cordain put Honey on the approved food lists. And im sure a cave man wouldn't walk away from it. Fruit post workout is not a great post workout sugar. Fruits sugar is fructose which can only replenish liver glycogen. Using maltodextrin would be far from paleo, and that's what i've been using so im trying to use the next best thing.. honey.
Thanks, Bry
Philip, canned tuna is fine, just pay attention to the sodium intake, try and find one that is low in sodium.
Bry look up your honey facts bud, honey's main sugar source is fructose. There are probably other sources you may consider more reliable but wikipedia breaks it down pretty well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey
Coconut water is low in fat and calories (60 cals/serving), has no cholesterol, and has a natural balance of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium - making it a healthy electrolyte replacement drink! Be careful, as some brands contain added sugar and preservatives! Read the label. I have gotten Vita Coco and Zico locally and they are 'pure coconut water' - nothin' else. So good, and very effective if you're feeling energetically tapped out.
How about making a CF workout worth two points and any other workout worth one point? I'm sure there are lots of people who do stuff other than just CF (me, for example) although you might not want to hear that.
I guess I am a bit confused along the lines of eating during/post workouts...
Loren Cordain, PhD (for those who don't know he is author of both "The Paleo Diet" and "The Paleo Diet for Athletes") states the following regarding "Stage II: Eating During Excercise":
For the sake of being too long I've grabbed the main point(s):
For events lasting 90 minutes to 4 hours, inadequate nutrition and environmental stresses on the body begin to take a toll on performance. The athlete is at risk for depleted muscle gylcogen stores and dehydration, so nutritional goals must begin with taking in adequate fluids and carbohydrate. It is best to use a sports drink that replaces both carbohydrate and sodium...gels with water as a chaser are also acceptable...high glycemic index drinks with much grater maltodextrin or glucose than fructose content are preferred."
For post workout recovery his thoughts are very similar..
"During exercise, especially if it lasted longer than 1 hour (or high-intensity), you used up much of your cabohydrate-based energy sources. These can best be restored by taking in carbohydrates that are high on the glycemic load scale for quick replenishment of expended glycogen stores, along with sources that are lower on the scale to provide for a steady release of carbohydrates into the blood... Glucose, the sugar in starch foods such as potatoes, rice, and grains, is a good source for quick recovery...one of the highest glycemic load carbs is glucose. By adding glucose to a shake you replace the body's expended carbohydrate stores more quickly than by eating fruit and drinking fruit juice alone because these foods are rich in fructose, which the body takes much longer to digest.
With regard to high-intensity workouts (hero wods) or those lasting longer than one hour (long runs/rows/bikes/swims) it is very difficult to eat 2-3 sweet potatoes as a recovery source, not only is it a huge load of food but the release of carbs into the bloodstream as an aid in fueling muscle recovery is sub-obtimal (i.e. slow digesting).
Regarding the Honey, I see that it is 30%/30% Fructose/Glucose, so yes it has sugar in it but I think Bry has a very valid point in that it is "the next best thing post-workout." Indeed, it is a sub-optimal recovery food due to high fructose content yet does have some glucose which is good in the recovery window and it's on Cordains list, so why is it not allowed during events or as recovery?
I'm not trying to make excuses to get in sweets. I am intending on doing the competition and doing it well, I also realize though that as an athlete to sacrifice performance for the sake of following a diet seems, from a performance/athletic point of view, dangerously dogmatic.
As Cordain puts it in "The Paleo Diet for Athletes:"
The essential principles for the Paleo diet for athletes are straightforward: You can eat as much lean meat, poulty, seafood, fresh fruit, and veggies as you like. Foods that are not part of the diet include cereal grains, dairy products, high-glycemic fruits, fatty meat, refined sugar etc. There are a number of crucial exceptions to these fundamental rules. Case in Point: Immediately before, during, and after a workout or competition, certain non-paleo foods should be eaten to promote quick recovery."
Damon, CrossFit is all about doing this constantly varied...for you I know you push around heavy weight at home, squat, dead, press, etc. if you are making it in here regularly and doing that at home a couple of days a week that certainly counts the same. Same goes if someone were to go on a long run over the weekend. And you can get multiple points in that department if you are doing more than 1 workout a day.
Is deli meat permissible if it is certified Organic? For example, Applegate (while insanely expensive) is humanely raised, contains no nitrites or nitrates, and uses no antibiotics. It is low in carbs, low in fat, and high in protein. - Betsy
No go with the deli meat...the biggest issue there is the salt content. Deli meats are loaded with salts because of how long they need to last.
All -
I found a great solution to the dilemma I've been having regarding fueling during/post workout and trying to do paleo.
This site has a ton of great recipes, many of which are paleo and are great during & post workout. Seems like dates are a great solution for the high glycemic carbs but still paleo.
Jade, dates are cool? Agave nectar?
Here's the site...
www.nomeatathlete.com
Dates are cool, Agave is still lumped in with honey just because of how refined it is. I'll check the site out tomorrow, looking forward to some new recipes.
Ok, I'm excited about the challenge but the food thing is starting to stress me out to the point of craving a twinkie (and I don't even eat twinkies)...I'm going to give this challenge my best(modified) shot, but to stay the course I will focus on the daily victories, not all the possible opportunities for failure... the self-loathing days are over.
Also, I am a food writer and trained chef, so if anyone has cooking questions please feel free to ask me, or maybe we could do a group lesson sometime...good luck to everyone! Kim Dannies
Kim,
awesome to hear you are going to do the challenge. Thanks for the offer on the cooking lessons...maybe you could post some good recipes that would fit the guidelines, that'd be most awesome.
Kim! I could use some advise on how to buy meat - like roasts and tenderloins - and how to cook it. I only know how to toss a steak on the grill. Help :-) - Betsy
I have all of the recipes off of The Paleo Diet for Athletes book if anyone wants to get a hard copy of them. Just ask me for them.
Are NUUN tablets okay? No sugar, little salt? let me know.
Olah
Christopher- I'd love a copy of the recipes, thanks. Beeps, I am bringing in copies of a meat article. One tip for coking meat: after your meat is cooked (or even just undercook it a bit,) wrap it in heavy duty foil and let it rest for 15 minutes- the juices will settle and you'll have a much tastier meat.
Hey All,
This site has a TON of recipes that are paleo. Just search for the main ingredient you want to use on the left hand side and a bunch of recipes come up! Cool!
http://www.rawfoodhomerecipes.com/
Also, does anyone have any good recipes for recovery foods/bars/shakes that would be considered paleo?
Just wanted to let everyone know i downloaded a new app for my Android phone called Crossfit Travel. It has 120 different WOD's in it that can all be done at home without equipment, except for a couple that inclide running. Perfect for when you are traveling or when you miss a day at the gym. Today I did one that was 10 rounds for time, 10 Pushups, 10 Situps, and 10 Air Squats.
I just thought this could be helpful in gaining those extra points for workouts when we miss a chance to get into the gym.
Natural Probiotic anarobic Sauerkraut? I.E. Flack farm sauerkraut.
Chris,
no to the tabs...yes to the sauerkraut.
I assume band pull ups are OK for those doing them, just keep to the same band pre /post?
Hi - with regards to the fish oil supplements: Jade reports that he can take multiple doses without experiencing the unpleasant blow-back AKA Fish burp(ees). For those not so blessed, you'll want to purchase fish oil gels that have the word "Enteric coated" on the label. These are a bit more expensive, but worth it!
1. How about substituting tea for the coffee?
2. Can I assume "fish oil concentrate" = 'fish oil"?
Any recommendations for ready to drink protein shakes? VHT brand? Thanks.
Bob - Band pull-ups are 100% okay, there will be many people doing this, you just need to make sure you use the same band at the beginning and end.
Kim - Thanks for the heads up on the fish oil. Like Kim said I take 30 capsules a day and have no problem with fish burps, other people have trouble with just 1 capsule.
Bob - You can definitely do tea instead of coffee...but I just changed the post and made a note above. If the tea has caffiene it is a point off after 2 cups...with that said after 2 cups of either you can do either tea or coffee without losing points as long as it is decaffienated.
Bob - Fish oil, you can defintely do concentrated fish oil, same rules apply you need to get at least 3000mg of combined EPA and DHA a day.
Bob - Not sure on the ready to drink, I'd stay away as a lot of them have milk. Optimum Nutrition makes a good basic whey protein powder that is reasonably priced. Can pick it up at Vitaminn Shoppe for about $45 for a tub with 70 servings. Mix it with water and you are good to go.
A quick note. There has been some recent discussion about salt intake among many of you. I did some research into foods and salt, and for those who do this strictly you will be at very low levels of salt intake, that combined with intense exercise and a good amount of sweating might leave you with not enough salt in your body. I made a note in the above Paleo Challenge guidelies, but with that said you guys can use small amounts of salt to cook, and use spices that have small amounts of salt in them. What this means though is no buying salted foods, even if they are paleo, i.e. Salted nuts, you need to buy raw nuts. If anyone has anymore questions on the subject please ask.
I just calcualted my 'maintenance' level fish oil intake using the ROBB WOLF FISH OIL CALCULATOR, on the WHOLE9 website. I bought the Costco Kirkland brand yestereday. With my weight of 135, and these tablets that contain 300mg (180 EPA, 120 DHA), it says I need to take 11 (ELEVEN) fish oil pills a DAY! These are the size you'd give a horse and I have trouble getting even 1 down (I took 5 so far). I'm going out to see what other brand I can find with higher EPA/DHA content :-) - Betsy
Betsy - fish oil purity varies greatly so it really depends whether it bothers you to take a lot of pills or not. The cheap kirkland stuff is by far the cheapest way to go, but like you said it is a lot, I take 30 tabs a day.
A couple of you have asked about training outside of the gym or on the road.
For those of you with bikes, rowers, etc. at home or those who are still running check out www.crossfitendurance.com if your looking for something to do they post a workout everyday and it would be a great addition to your normal training.
The link below will bring you to a forum and you can download a PDF with a ton of bodyweight workouts. Whether you're on the road or couldn't make it in you should be able to pull something off of that.
http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=38312
Grocery shopped and chopped all afternoon- food prep for a week...this should count as a workout!
I tried this recipe tonight and it was delicious. I highly recommend...
http://www.paleoplan.com/2009/11-20/curry-chicken/
Also, watch the movie "King Corn" if you need some reinforcement on the Paleo challenge!
Anyone have any suggestions for mint/gum substitutes?
Hi- Try sipping away on decaf green tea mixed with a hit of liquid mint chlorophyll (digestive detoxifier). Green tea is a fat burner and the chlorophyll makes it really minty and refreshing. I suggest going to naturessunshine.com and ordering the 16 oz. bottle, it will last you quite a while. Steep 3-4 decaf tea bags in a half gallon of very hot water and add a few shots of the chlorophyll. The tea tastes great at any temperature.
I made BBQ pulled pork tonight in the pressure cooker. It was AWESOME!! The BBQ recipe I used is listed below. I'm sure this would work well in a slow cooker too! - Betsy
6 oz tomato paste
1 c water
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion chopped finely
1 tsp salt
2 tblsp dijon mustard
2 tblsp apple cider vinegar
1 tblsp EVOO
2 tblsp chili powder
Hey All,
Someone at the gym today was saying they missing the "feel" of eating carbs, something to do with chewing or crunching? Anyways, I just found these kelp noodles - seem to be paleo from what I can see. Meatballs lonely no more....http://www.reallyrawfood.com/fruity-subjects-and-some-veggies/kelp-noodles-exposed/
Call Me Wilma
Paleo Pad Thai Soup
In a soup pot, sauté one large chopped onion in a bit of olive oil for 20 minutes. Add 16 ounces of chicken stock and 1 can of unsweetened coconut milk. Add 2 cups each of chopped carrot, celery, sweet bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, and cubed raw or cooked chicken. Simmer 15 minutes. Add 5 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger, and chili seasoning to taste. Add 2 cups fresh spinach. Serve steaming soup topped with fresh mint, toasted unsweetened coconut, and toasted cashews. Serves 4-6.
Paleo Porcupines: for dessert, peel and split a banana in half; slice again length-wise. Drizzle best quality almond butter over the bananas. Roll in toasted sunflower seeds.
1 1/3 cup Dates
1 cup Walnuts
4 Tbs Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla
Dump into a food processor, hit the big button that say ON. Process the food...roll with fingers into little "balls" also known as Fudge Babies...chill and serve.
We made the Pad Thai soup that Kim posted. A new family favorite. We took it to church for a pot-luck. New church favorite.
Very nice!
Paleo Almond Pumpkin Muffins. These are delisious!! If you're craving a baked-good, these will satisfy you. Enjoy - Betsy
Ingredients
1 cup Natural, Unblanched Almond Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
4 tbsp Cinnamon
2 Eggs, Large
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp Almond Butter
1 cup Raisins
2 tbsp Coconut
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Beat eggs. Add to the eggs all other wet ingredients except olive oil. No need for a mixer just stir till combined. In a separate bowl mix together the almond flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the wet and dry ingredients together then add the raisins, walnuts and coconut. Stir. Grease muffin tin with olive oil (I poured a little in each muffin hole and that worked well) Divide evenly into 11 muffins. Bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Store in the refrigerator for longer lasting muffins.
*** Note
They won't seem like they are done, but go ahead and pull them out.
That is, they're DELICIOUS! (I don't know how to edit my post above). - b
Jade, is there a paleo challenge approved chocolate bar? Especially since Valentine's Day is coming up? I know it has to be dark, was wondering if there is a certain percentage cacao it has to be.
Yo Valentine- The Cavemen Ate Bark!
Chocolate nut bark is an expensive item at places like Godiva, but it is easy to make at home provided you begin with excellent ingredients. I buy premium 70% cacao chocolate in one pound "pistols" (small chips) about $10 at Lake Champlain Chocolate on Pine Street. (They also sell the big daddies of the chocolate world in chunks: Belgium’s Valrhona and Callebaut, and the El Rey from Venezuela, in milk, dark and white.) I toast 2-3 cups of almonds for 10 minutes at 350 degrees before adding them to the chocolate. While not strictly chocolate-addict approved, festive additions such as dried fruits, and coconut are permitted during the month of February.
One pound of chocolate will be just right for a 12”x16” cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. But first, you must temper the chocolate. Tempering the chocolate is the definitive step that separates the true chocolate aficionado from the desperate junkie. Tempering the chocolate is easy and ensures that the finished product will have a lovely sheen and nice snap to the bark.
Place the chocolate in a metal bowl that is fitted snugly over a pot on the stove. The pot should hold 3” water should simmer not boil. Stir the chocolate with a chopstick until it is melted and smooth.Don't allow any water near the chocolate it will ruin it.
Pour one third of the melted chocolate onto a clean, smooth work surface and work with a rubber spatula to spread out the chocolate and then regroup it. Do this for 2-3 minutes or until the chocolate is thick with a dull finish; this is called “seeded” chocolate (temperature will be 82-84 degrees). Add it back to remaining warm chocolate and stir well. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and smooth to desired thickness. With a clean finger swirl in nuts and fruits then place trays in a cool environment (the garage is perfect) for a few minutes. Crack bark into pieces and store in ziplock bags in a cool, dry place; devour any remnants, they do not count as your daily fix. xo
I just made Fudge Babies. Those things are awesome (Thanks Christopher!). Awesome, and dangerous!
I actually read all the above comments before posting this...
Is straight up cocoa powder okay?
I'm going to try this recipe with chopped dates in lieu of honey and/or maple syrup.
http://whatfeedsus.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/eggs-butter-macaroons/
Cocoa powder is 100% all good
Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (these look pretty good! okay, okay, so the butter's not paleo... sub EVOO?)
2 pound ground white meat chicken
1/2 onion, grated (remove excess moisture)
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 cup parsley, chopped
½ cup almond meal or flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
4 tblsp butter
1 cup wing hot sauce (such as Frank’s)
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken with the onion, garlic, almond meal and parsley, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Flatten out the meat in the bowl and score it into portions using the side of your hand.
Arrange the meatballs on a nonstick sheet pan covered in parchment paper and drizzle them with EVOO. Place in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
While the meatballs are baking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the hot sauce and whisk to combine. Toss the baked meatballs in the hot sauce to coat.
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