So let’s get right into it! Here are my major observations from a week on the 21 Day Sugar Detox:

• Everyone had a few grumpy/moody moments in the first week. I told you I’d give you the real talk- good, bad and ugly- so here we go! The kids had their meltdowns early on. In the first three days, they asked a lot about juice (they typically get a splash of juice in their water cups), about treats and about stopping to eat at restaurants while we were out. I was prepared for that, so I don’t feel like it shook my resolve much. After all, we never really warned them anything major was changing. My husband and I reached our point of contention later in the week (see the next point), where he was not feeling satisfied after meals and I had a few major crying sessions because I felt like he wasn’t on-board with the plan anymore. Not sure if my stuff was more pregnancy/hormone-related or sugar-related, but we reconciled and we’re continuing on with the plan. Which leads me to the next point..
• We’ve noticed our family needs more carbs! We are on the Level 2 Plan with Energy modifications, but I don’t think I added enough extra carbs to compensate for the pregnancy or for my husband’s body type. Kids need extra carbs, too. So we’ve compromised and added in a few of the ‘Limit’ items from Level 1 like rice and quinoa to add to our carb intake.
• I had a few very tired days. I think Days 2-4 were the worst, but I just felt completely wiped out. A few other detox symptoms showed up (runny nose, scratchy throat), but the fatigue was the most noticeable for me. Again, this could be due to the pregnancy or the fact that I have been doing so much more work in the kitchen. Which leads me to..
• There are so many dishes! Get ready to wash, wash, wash.. and then wash again. We don’t really use paper products in our house, so all of our dishes and towels are in constant rotation. I’m also using a ton of pots and bowls and kitchen tools. I’ve mentioned before here that dishes are not my thing, so I guess I’m really committed to this plan to endure all the extra washing!
• Our tastes are changing already. The things that used to taste more sour are now tasting sweeter- I’m getting closer and closer to actually enjoying the taste of a grapefruit! The kids are relaxing their preferences, too- they’re eating a lot more vegetables and not complaining as much about preparations (example- they used to prefer their scrambled eggs and veggies separated, but now they will eat them combined).

Cinnilla Nut Mix and Herb Biscuits, Chicken Pot Pie, Veggies about to be roasted.

So what did we eat?

Breakfasts

• Buffalo Chicken Egg Muffins (p 100, we omitted the buffalo sauce and added cheese instead)
• Eggs with Sausage or Bacon and Veggies
• Orange Coconut Smoothie (p 93)
• Banana N’Oatmeal (p 46 of the additional cookbook)
• Veggie and Egg Scramble or Frittata

Lunches

• A lot of leftovers! (This works well for our family.)
• Salads with leftover chicken or salmon

Dinners

• Mini Mexican Meatloaves with Herb Cauliflower (p 118, p178)
• Cilantro Shrimp Stirfry with Caulirice (p 122 of the additional cookbook, p 172)
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Mustard Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries and Asparagus (p 114)
• Balsamic Braised Beef, Mashed Butternut Squash (p 128)
• simple broiled salmon with lemon juice
• Chicken Pot Pie (p 66 of the additional cookbook)

Snacks/Treats

• Cinnilla Nut Mix (p 192) or other mixed nuts
• Grain-Free Banana Granola (p 200), with milk or yogurt
• Yogurt with nuts or bananas (my favorite combo is yogurt, banana, almond butter, cinnamon and a little splash of vanilla)
• Full-fat cheese
• Carrots and celery with almond butter or mashed avocado
• Antipasti-type stuff- olives, pickles, cheese, salami, et
• Vanilla Coconut Popsicles (p 196)
• Savory Herb Drop Biscuits (p 188)
• Hard-boiled Eggs
• Kale Chips (p 190)

(Unless otherwise noted, the page references are all from the 21 DSD Book.)

We are already into the second week of our journey and things are continuing to go well. I’ll be back soon to share more details. Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have, I’d love to share any answers I can.

Happy Friday, darlings!

The ol’ Oven Love family is embarking on another nutritional adventure. On Sunday, we’ll be starting the 21 Day Sugar Detox, created by Balanced Bites author and nutritionist, Diane Sanfilippo. For all the details on the 21DSD, check out Diane’s website and her two books, The 21 Day Sugar Detox and The 21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook (I checked mine out at my local library, notice the pen marks in the photos?). This is not a detox in the traditional sense, so it’s completely safe for pregnancy.

Why? Why subject my poor family to another experiment? Ha!

Well, since we moved across the country a few months back, things have slowly fallen apart in the nutrition department. GAPS fell to the wayside when we arrived in our new house- I just couldn’t keep up with the preparation, I was newly pregnant with baby #3 (aka TIRED) and I didn’t know where to source our food. I tried to keep things paleo-style, but that started to fall apart, too. We started eating more grains, which was fine in moderation.. and then we spiraled down into treats and eating out and all kinds of nonsense. You know how these things go.

Now, here I am, just a few months from having a new baby, and I’m feeling the push to get back on track. My carb and sugar cravings have been driving my food choices and I am not comfortable with that! I do not want to be controlled by food or give food more power than it deserves to have in my life. Christ is the one that should drive my thoughts, actions, and choices- not the treats calling from the pantry.

Sugar cravings were no problem for me after a week or two on GAPS, so I know I can benefit from the 21DSD. We are following Level 2 with Energy modifications for my pregnancy. Level 2 includes full-fat dairy, which I think will help the kids to cope better with the short term change.. they love their fruit, so I’ll be glad to have milk and yogurt as options for them. I’m looking forward to kicking these cravings and getting my gut balanced before baby comes (babies get their first beneficial bacteria from mom in the birth canal, it’s very important for me to be balanced!).

I’ll be sharing our experience here for each of the three weeks on the 21DSD. That means you’ll see all of our meals and hear about our experiences- that includes my husband and kids, too! I promise to share the good, bad and ugly. So look forward to at least some description of us completely melting down.

Happy weekend- I’ll be back soon with an update!

Bleh! Meal planning! My brain is fried after every planning session. I feel like I am ten parts horrible to one part awesome in this department. Heck, I even wrote a post with 10 tips for better meal planning (image above is from that post), so why is it still so hard? I really need to take my own advice!

I think I spent two hours or more figuring out my meal plan on Friday night (party animal, right here). Can I get that time back? Can I shrink it down to 30 minutes? Maybe it would be easier if I didn’t have a food blog.. but probably not. I will keep plugging away at it, though- I know it’s a good thing and will help my overall sanity for the rest of the week.

So here’s what I came up with: our meal plan in all it’s glory. This is what’s up. Happy Sunday, ya’ll!

The Oven Love Meal Plan: February 2014, Week 1

Sunday (today): Eggs and these chocolate paleo muffins for breakfast (they were okay, I would like to work with the recipe to make it even more chocolatey!), quick sandwiches/salads for lunch after church, pot roast for dinner. Also making hard boiled eggs and a new version of this baked oatmeal for later in the week, plus homemade bread.

Monday: Baked oatmeal for breakfast, leftover pot roast for lunches, and we’re giving this Paleo Chik-fil-A recipe a try for dinner with some veggies on the side. Also making apple cinnamon muffins for later in the week.

Tuesday: Eggs and sausage for breakfast, lunch TBD (probably veggies/fruit/cheese/hard-boiled eggs, etc), Mahi Mahi with an Asian slaw like this one, minus the chicken. Also trying out these butternut squash flatbreads for lunches later in the week.

Wednesday: Dealer’s choice for breakfast (muffins, baked oatmeal or eggs, whatever’s left), butternut squash wraps with fruit/veg for lunch, dinner with our house church.

Thursday: Bacon and eggs for breakfast, fridge clean out for lunch, and recipe development for dinner  (working on a chicken curry recipe for you guys) which I’ll probably serve with rice and a salad.

Friday: Eggs and veggies for breakfast, leftover curry for lunch, and trying out these Honey Balsamic Meatballs for dinner with some sweet potato fries.

Saturday: Probably pancakes for breakfast (I still don’t have a tried-and-true recipe I really love, so who knows what recipe I’ll choose!), trying my hand at homemade pho for lunch, and dinner is TBD.

I have to give my girl Jess all the credit for motivating me to make a meal plan this week! Every Sunday she shares her meal plan on her blog, Jessica Lynn Writes. Check out her plans for the week, too:

I am desiring to make this Oven-Love-thing more of a community where we can help each other out. It is hard being a spouse/parent/human person on planet Earth, isn’t it? You’re out there trying to make things work. Juggling all the craziness of life, desiring to feed yourself and/or your family well. I hear you, I’ve been there, I’m there now, too. I love hearing from you guys and helping you to work through your kitchen issues. There were a few topics I wanted to hit on and some resources I wanted to share, too. So here we go, solvin’ problems.

Healthy AND Quick AND Cheap Meals

That’s asking a lot from one meal, but it can be done. I would first ask you this- what is your real priority? Is it feeding your family nourishing food, feeding your family quickly, or feeding your family on a low budget? Which is most important to you? We can incorporate all three elements, but it’s not going to happen every time, since all three are at odds with each other. “Healthy” foods are typically fresh, requiring more time to cook and can be more expensive than processed food. Food that is easy to prepare often sacrifices health with convenience ingredients. Cheap food that is healthy takes time to find (aka looking for deals, couponing, etc). Figure out what your highest priority is, and work on that one first.

So now that I’ve crushed your hopes, ha!, I’ll actually give you some useful tips to make this happen.

Healthy Food Cheap: Have a weekly/monthly food budget so you can stay within it. Shop with the sales, haggle with farmers at the market, buy produce in bulk and preserve it, buy bruised/ugly produce, grow a small garden, buy bulk meat/produce with a friend and split the cost. If you want to have truly healthy food at lower cost, you have to do some work to find it. Make use of food that is in season- it’s usually more local/fresh and on sale.

Healthy Food Quick: Meal Plan if you can (see below). Practice your kitchen skills- I can’t stress this enough! The more practice you have at preparing food, the quicker you will be. Do any prep work you can ahead of time- this could be defrosting meat the night before, chopping vegetables during nap- anything to help dinner time run smoothly. Utilize the slow cooker, or go the other way and utilize the skillet meal. Try your hand at freezer cooking. I will also add this thought- what is filling your day so fully that you feel rushed when preparing dinner? Is there any way you could reorganize your time? Spend a 1/2 hour less watching TV in favor of food prep each night? Just an idea to get you thinking about priorities.

I hesitate to actually give you recipe ideas here because we all have a different definition of “healthy.” But I did want to give you some ideas and tools to work toward the goal of healthy/cheap/fast meals. Don’t be afraid to mess up, don’t get discouraged. It is no small thing that you are in the kitchen, working hard to prepare nourishing food for your family. You will mess up sometimes, we all do. Keep at it!

Meal Planning

Oh, meal planning. Our best friend one day, our nemesis the next. All of my best meal planning advice can be found in this post- 10 Tips For Better Meal Planning. The hardest part is getting started. Set aside a time each week or month that’s just for meal planning. If you can, get out of your house and go to a coffee shop to do it so you can concentrate.

Keeping Up With the Dishes

I am the poster child for horrible dish habits. Doing the dishes is one of my least favorite chores, ugh. I just wish they would disappear. Here’s my advice (I’m definitely talking to myself here):

Clear the table right after the meal. Put dishwash-able items straight into the dishwasher. Have one or two times during the day that you will typically work on dishes (I do some after dinner while my husband does bath time with the kids, and then some in the morning after breakfast). Put dry dishes away before you start washing new dishes. If you have an overwhelming mountain of dishes to do, set a timer for 20 minutes, do as much as you can, and then take a break- you will be surprised how much you get done!

Pie Crust without Hydrogenated Oils

You’ve got a lot of options here.

• Traditional pastured lard (can be rendered at home from leaf lard)- Traditional lard is different nutritionally than lard or shortening found on the grocery store shelves. I find it makes great tasting baked goods!
• Pastured butter- I like Smitten Kitchen’s All Butter Crust
• Coconut oil- Try Food52’s Perfect Vegan Pie Crust
• Palm shortening- Try this Basic Pie Crust, Real Food Style

I did a pie crust comparison a year or two ago that may be helpful here, too.

Healthy Meals To Satisfy A Large Family

I only have two kids, so I’m definitely not an expert on feeding a large family. My first thought is that if I had a house of 7+ people, I would only be cooking one meal for everyone. I don’t have the energy to make everyone their own dish! That means not everyone will be happy every night, but to me, that’s okay. Perhaps a meal rotation would be a good idea? Ask everyone for their favorite meal and then put them into a rotation. Encourage them to try meals that are new to everyone, too, so you are all trying new things together.

Bread Baking

Bread baking can be pretty intimidating, that’s for sure. I’ve had my fair share of fails. Some resources I love are The Breadbaker’s Apprentice, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day and Tartine Bread. Also, read the “Air” chapter of Michael Pollan’s book Cooked– it will give you a renewed excitement about baking bread and help you to understand why the process can be so fickle.

Making Dinner with Kids Getting In the Way

I know all about this one. In my mind, you’ve got two options- keep the kids busy or involve them in what you’re doing. I do a little bit of both.

Keep the kids busy: Set them up with play food or a play kitchen. Give them pots and pans, or cups to stack. Get them to set the table if they’re old enough. Give them crayons and paper.. you know, whatever you have. And of course, there’s always the iPad and TV. The healthy food you’re preparing will cancel out any brain cells lost by technology.

Get them involved: Let them help you with prep work. My littles help by putting the veggies I chop into a bowl, mixing things up, adding things to the bowl, etc. Get a kids kitchen knife and let them help chopping if they’re old enough. Buy or build a helper tower so they can help (or just be tall enough to watch what you’re doing)- we built one of these and it has been a lifesaver in our kitchen.

Well that’s about all the wisdom I’ve got in me. Hope it was helpful to some of you. Please keep sending questions my way!

As you may know, I’ve recently fallen (hard) off the GAPS bandwagon.. but I am feeling the (terrible) effects and I am ready to jump back on. Maybe not legit GAPS, or legit Paleo with a CAPITAL P or whatever, but I feel the need to get back to a more intentional style of eating since I feel my best that way.

Since I’m gonna need some inspiration to climb out of this rut, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite new (or new to me) cookbooks to help me get back on the horse. This list will be helpful to anyone who is new to the Paleo/Primal/Traditional style of eating. Lots of great ideas and drool-worthy inspiration here!

Nothing adds to an already busy life like taking on Paleo. These time-saving books make it seem doable.

Paleo Lunches and Breakfasts on the Go– I’ve had my eye on this one for a while. I get into a scrambled egg rut with my breakfasts and often struggle with new ideas for lunch. This looks like it needs to hit my doorstep.

The Paleo Slow Cooker– The name says it all. Embrace the slow cooker, my friends.

Make Ahead Paleo– Any way to cut down on dinner time prep is good news for me. Now if I could only remember to start things ahead of time..

Paleo Power Lunch– More lunch time expertise. Needing it badly right now.

Beyond Bacon and Carnivore– For my protein-loving friends out there! Beyond Bacon has some killer looking recipes (not to mention great photos) and Carnivore is great if you want to branch out with new preparations or cuts of meat.

Fermented and Real Food Fermentation– I have mastered sauerkraut.. but I have yet to experiment with any other fermented veggies. I’m hoping one of these could help me face my fears.

Nom Nom Paleo’s Food For Humans and the Against All Grain Cookbook– I love these two ladies and their blogs, so I know I’ll love their cookbooks, too.

21 Day Sugar Detox Cookbook– I have Diane’s book Practical Paleo (which I absolutely love and recommend), so I want to check out this cookbook, along with the original 21DSD book.

Primal Cravings– I love this resource- especially if you are missing foods from the ol’ Standard American Diet.

Gather– This book looks gorgeous and takes the stress out of planning for a gathering, whether you’re the Paleo eater or your guest is.

Los Paleo– You had me at ‘mexican.’ I love this idea!

The Nourished Metabolism– I know this isn’t a cookbook, but it looks like a good read so I wanted to include it. The food we eat and our overall health go hand in hand.

Well Fed 2– I really liked the first installment of Well Fed, so I’m on board for round two. Both are worth checking out.

Have any of you tried one of these cookbooks? Any other favorite resources to share? I’m all ears.

Now, which one to read first…

We are now settled into our new house in Dayton, OH. I use the word “settled” lightly, because a) I still feel like I’m on a strange vacation, b) boxes everywhere, ugh, c) we started painting and won’t be done anytime soon, and d) I just don’t really feel settled yet.

What’s been happening the past few weeks while I’ve been farming out my posts to other bloggers? Quick recap.

I was/am super sad about leaving Georgia. You guys, I did not know I was going to like Georgia. Really didn’t. I waltzed down there in 2010 with my new baby and I was all, “Eh, it’s too hot down here, three years better pass fast cuz I’m out.” And then I practically held on for dear life and had to be pulled out of GA crying like a baby. Those charming Southerners will do it to you every time. I am still missing my people something fierce, but my random crying outbursts have reduced by about half, so that’s progress.

Also, I have to stop myself from saying Ya’ll. It’s etched into my brain forever.

I sort of totally jumped off the GAPS bandwagon. It was unintentional and I really tried to plan for the move, but I broke down on hour 9 of a 12-hour drive alone with the kids. I had no food left, and I ate some (ughh I hate to even type this) Burger King at a rest stop with the kids. Ughh. Then I thought I would get back on the bandwagon the next day, but we didn’t make it out for groceries because my car was stuck behind the moving truck. I will save you all the details, but I will say that my stint back on the Standard American Diet included Dominos Pizza, Mini Oreos, Sesame Honey Cashews from TJ’s (these are a serious weakness, try them and you’ll see), a UDF brownie sundae and some other total junk. Needless to say, I have seen the light and I am moving back toward it (aka all that junk made me feel terrible). I’m trying to find a happy medium.. trying to figure out what my body can truly tolerate.. I’m such a mess, you guys- the will-Natalie-ever-figure-out-how-to-eat saga continues!

I guess that’s the major news. Enough of that. Here’s some fun stuff I found while I was cleaning out my reader last night:

I really want to go to Ojai, like anytime would be great. And I want to stay here.

I’m into chilly treats- pink grapefruit sorbet in grapefruit cups, blueberry frozen yogurt, green smoothie detox pops, chocolate-dipped coconut pops, raspberry chiffon pie. I wants it!

And I’m into kale salads.

I want to do something with all those Instas- anyone used Printic or Stickygram? Or any other recommendations?

Two recipes that are baffling/intriguing- orange coconut omelettes and kale granola (wha?? but also, get in my belly)

salty nuts ice cream. because, yeah.

awesome paleo lunches this year, Michelle!

a vest for Lucy, and one for Elliott, too.

I’m pumped to have a great library again, and Janssen has got my thinking twice about audiobooks. I think I’ll be requesting a lot of these!

Aaaand, thumbprint cookies are killin’ it. These and definitely these.

Jody Engstrom has been a personal chef for special needs clients such as cancer and diabetes patients and has also teaches food preparation classes. She has prepared raw/vegan, grain-free and paleo diet foods for health food stores, crossfitters, and bodybuilding clients as well. Currently she is a  mother of 1 darling and energetic little girl, prepares healthy delightful meals for her family and cooks, photographs, and posts to her health diet related blog, Living Nutrition @ mylivingnutrition.com. Jody writes:

These little morsels are a new family favorite. They have become commonly requested for tea and dinner parties as well!

The first time I made them was during naptime about 6 months ago, at an especially defiant stage of the munchkin’s life. I needed a “meditative moment”, so I decided to make these while she was sleeping, in hopes that we could have a relaxing tea party with Lily doll, Pooh Bear and Mr. Moose when she woke up.

The cookies were surprisingly easy to make and I had plenty of time to photograph my creation, when my husband came upstairs from working.I had him try one and he didn’t stop. Between every click of the camera, there was another cookie stolen. I managed to get the photo I wanted, but at the tea party in the aftermath, Lily, Pooh Bear, and Mr. Moose looked somber as Ariana and I chomped down on the last 2 cookies daddy was forced to save for us.

I learned from this “cookie massacre” that if I want any saved for us, I have to wrap a few in aluminum foil and hide them behind the frozen peas in the freezer. It’s sneaky…but it works.

Coconut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free. Originally posted on livingnutrition.com.

Author: Jody Engstrom

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• for the cookies:
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 TBS coconut nectar, honey or maple syrup
• 2 TBS softened coconut oil or butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• for the chocolate ganache:
• 2 TBS coconut oil, melted
• 1 TBS raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1 TBS coconut nectar, honey or maple syrup
• a few grains of salt

Instructions

1. Put all of the cookie ingredients in the food processor and process until mixture sticks together. Scoop into 1 TBS sized balls. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes while you prepare the chocolate filling.Mix everything for the filling, in a shaker bottle or small blender until emulsified. Set aside.
2. Remove the coconut balls from the fridge and flatten them into more of a cookie shape. Create an indentation in the middle of each cookie for your chocolate ganache.
3. Carefully spoon the chocolate ganache into each indentation. Return to the fridge for 5 min for the ganache to set.
4. Enjoy! No Baking Required!

3.1.09

Is that too much already? I needed to get it out of my system.

This is my very first duck dish, you guys. First time I’ve made it and possibly first time I’ve eaten it. We got some wild duck breasts from a friend (thanks, Joe!) and they sat in my freezer for awhile.. just waiting until I was brave enough to cook them. And then they sat in the fridge thawing for awhile.. as I tried to decide what in the world to do with them. #firstworldproblems

Which brings us to skewers. When you don’t know what to do with something, just put it on a stick. (New life motto in progress).

Any brainiac would tell you to put these on the grill, but I am a lazy person (we have a charcoal grill, haha) so I did them in the oven along with some squash that didn’t make the photo. While they were quickly cooking, I made the apricot dipping sauce on the stove. The original plan was actually to put halved apricots on the skewers like I saw in this beautiful post, but I waited too long and the apricots got a bit soft, so I went with sauce instead. Just a little change of plans.

Honestly, I was a little nervous about how the duck would turn out. The breasts had the fat removed, so all of the typical duck cooking advice did not apply and I was afraid it would be dry and bland. The meat ended up being quite flavorful- even the kids were eating off sticks like little cave people. It was kind of a giant mess, but very entertaining at the time. I think next time I would actually baste the skewers with the sauce when they come out of the oven to help the duck retain some moisture- so definitely try that out the next time you’re skewering some duck. It won’t cut down on the mess, but I think it would take the dish up a notch.

These random freezer-clean-out meals have been stretching my culinary comfort zone. It’s been fun, but kind of exhausting mentally. I’m ready to start fresh.

Wild Duck Skewers with Apricot Dipping Sauce

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 lb duck breasts, trimmed
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (make sure there is no added sugar for GAPS)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 6 apricots, pitted and chopped
• juice of ½ orange
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (consider removing this or making homemade mustard for true GAPS or paleo)
• chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

1. A few hours (or up to a day) before you’re ready to cook, marinate the duck in the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use. Soak your wooden skewers in water, if using.
2. Prepare your grill or preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
3. Prepare the sauce- heat the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion until it begins to soften. Add the apricots and cook until they begin to break down. Add the orange juice, honey, mustard and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking as the duck cooks. Puree with a stick blender if you like a smoother sauce.
4. Cut the duck breasts into small chunks and place on skewers. Grill for just a few minutes on each side or bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes per side. Try not to overcook the duck- it’s okay for it to be pink. Baste with the sauce if you like and serve immediately with the chopped parsley.

#version#

Feels good to be home.

Feels good to be home alone, with no babies. Just for the day.

Feels good to do some cooking, take some pictures and be leisurely about writing a blog post.

(Also feels good to watch old episodes of Friday Night Lights while I do.)

The kids and I were traveling and visiting family for the last two weeks, and we were lucky enough to have my parents come back to spend the July 4th holiday with us. While they were here, we went down to Lane Southern Orchards for their celebration. They’re a huge producer of peaches here in GA and they make an awesome peach cobbler. Since I’m on GAPS, I couldn’t enjoy Lane’s cobbler while we were there, so the idea of a grain-free cobbler has been bouncing around in my head for a few days.

Today, since I’m home alone, I finally had the chance to mess around in the kitchen. I took one bite and I knew I had to sit right now and blog the recipe right away.  Now, I’m not a real Southerner, and I haven’t had many cobblers in my life, but the taste and texture of this recipe is just what I expected a cobbler to be.

This is one of those grain-free recipes that I think anyone (grain-free or not) would enjoy. You can rest easy serving this to a wide range of guests- it’s grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free if you want, paleo, full GAPS, vegetarian and vegan-adaptable if you want.. really simple and crowd pleasing. Great choice for a summer potluck if you bake it in an 8×8 pan- or you can bake it in ramekins I did (in the hopes that I wouldn’t eat the whole thing in one sitting. I’m doing good on that so far, but it’s touch and go.)

This would be delicious served with ice cream, whipped cream or coconut whip (I actually meant to top it with coconut whip, but it’s too hot in my house to make any. The A/C is out so it’s kinda roasty in here).

I feel like maybe these cobblers are my little grain-free ode to Georgia.. we’re 5 weeks away from leaving and I’m starting to get sentimental about the place. Sentimental meaning I am eating a whole lot of peaches, saying a lot of y’alls, listening to Down Home Girl on repeat and seriously watching too much Friday Night Lights.

And tonight, I’ll be eating cobbler while I watch, y’all. Georgia forever.

4.7 from 12 reviews

Grain-Free Peach Cobbler (Paleo, GAPS)

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Adapted from The Healthy Home Economist- http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/no-grain-peach-cobbler/

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 cups peaches; peeled, pitted and sliced
• ¼ cup filtered water
• 4 tablespoons butter (I use KerryGold) or coconut oil
• ¾ cup almond flour (I use Honeyville)
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• cinnamon and nutmeg, for topping
• full-fat coconut milk, heavy cream or ice cream for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a saucepan, add peaches and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, slice the butter into pieces and place them into 4-6 small ramekins or an 8×8 baking pan. Place the ramekins or baking pan in the oven and let the butter melt.
4. While the butter is melting and peaches simmering, mix the almond flour, coconut milk/cream, egg, honey and vanilla until well-combined.
5. Remove the baking dishes from the oven and pour the batter on top of the butter and do not mix. Drain the peaches and spoon them evenly over the mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top.
6. Bake the cobbler for 25-30 minutes or until they look brown and bubbly.
7. Serve warm with a drizzle of full-fat coconut milk, heavy cream or ice cream.

3.1.09

So, I’m planning to bombard you with a whole bunch of drink recipes this week. Is that cool? I had some time without the kids and I got carried away with my experimentation (it looked like the produce section of the grocery store blew up in my kitchen). All of the drinks turned out to be pretty tasty, so I’ve got to share. I hope you’re thirsty.

I call this “quick” lemonade because you don’t have to worry with making simple syrup on the stove and waiting for it to cool before you can take a drink. I just juiced some lemons, whisked some honey in with the juice and then added that to a glass of crushed blackberries and thyme. Cover that with cold water (and/or some vodka) and you’ve got a quick, refreshing something-to-sip.

These are really low maintenance- I would put a few caps on those Mason jars and take them out on a picnic.. probably with this salad. Summer heat, I am ready for you!

PS- Try a raspberry or strawberry version to mix it up.

Quick Blackberry Thyme Lemonade

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Drinks

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup blackberries, divided
• fresh juice of two lemons
• 1 tablespoon honey
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, removed from the stem
• 2 shots vodka (optional)
• water

Instructions

1. Split ¼ cup of between two glasses. Muddle (smash) them up in the bottom of the glasses.
2. In a small glass or bowl, whisk lemon juice and honey. Split the juice between the two glasses and add the thyme leaves.
3. If you’re adding the vodka, add one shot to each glass. Add ice and then top with water and stir. Top the glasses with the rest of the blackberries.

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