Paleo Cranberry Pecan muffins

These crazy delicious muffins were eaten up in a flash by mom, baby, and friends! Totally the best Paleo muffins I've made to date!

Recipe:

recipe slightly altered from SweetiePie find great GF/DF ideas on her blog2 cups of flour (1 cup almond and 1 cup Bob's red mill multipurpose gluten free flour) This is what I like to do when baking to get a less corse texture but still get the protein rich almond flour goodness!
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup oil ( I also mixed 1 part olive oil and 1 part cinnamon flax oil for extra DHA)
3 eggs or 1/4 cup applesauce per egg
1/2 cup sugar or agave nectar
zest and juice of one lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 12 cup muffin pan.
Combine the eggs, sugar, oil, lemon zest and juice and mix well.  Add the dry ingredients and stir, then fold in the cranberries.  If you are using frozen cranberries, defrost them by rinsing in hot water.  The batter will be very wet and look different from most of the muffin batters you may be used to.  Fear not.  Divide into the muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  A toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin should come out clean when they are done.  These muffins will not puff up and be as light and airy as others, but they will be super moist and very tasty.

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Quinoa Granola - Gluten Free

We made a version of Gwyneth Paltrow's quinoa granola with a few changes. It was so yummy we had it for breakfast and lunch with nectarines, lime juice, and agave nectar on top.

Here's her recipe with my edits. If you haven't checked out her book It's All Good you totally should. My sister in law got it for me as a gift and It's been so helpful in our gluten dairy free journey!

Quinoa Granola - remix

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup good-qulity maple syrup

3 cups quinoa flakes (we substituted one cup of flake for a cup of almond meal)

Coarse sea salt

1 1/4 cups roughly chopped nuts (we used pecans)

1and1/4 cups raw pumpkin seeds (we skipped this but only because I didn't have them on hand

3/4 cup roughly chopped dried fruit (we chose dried cherries)

(we also added the following)...

 1tsp organic vanilla extract 

1tsp organic cinnamon 

a handful of raw organic gluten free oats

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 

Whisk together olive oil and syrup in large mixing bowl and add quinoa flakes (and almond meal) stirring to combine thoroughly. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Evenly spread mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with pinch of sea salt (we added a little extra). Roast, stirring now and then until dried and crunchy and a lovely golden brown, about 25 minutes (make sure to watch in though because that time goes quick. Let the mixture cool completely before adding the remaining ingredients. Store in a glass jar for up to 2 weeks.

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Chia seed cereal

Mom and baby both love chia seeds!! They make any liquid the consistency of pudding as they soak in the moisture. We add fruit to our Chia, Buckwheat and Hemp cereal that's yummy hot or cold.

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What the heck CAN I eat? Breakfast tips

We all know its the most important meal of the day! When staying away from dairy, soy, gluten and eggs....What the heck CAN we eat?!? Here's a filling and delicious breakfast meal idea to start your day right!

• A heaping helping of fruit made extra yummy with cinnamon and lime juice (makes pretty much everything taste better)
• Turkey bacon! 
• 'Food for life' gluten free english muffins(only kind I've found without soybean ingredient) with Good Earth soy free butter and raspberry preserves.

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Quinoa with almond milk and pomegranate seeds

I love love warm grains and tangy fruits together! This has been my staple breakfast all winter with a change up of the toppings now and then. Plus my little nine month old can snag a few bites too! Packed with protein and nutrients and so comforting on a cold winter (or Ohio spring) morning.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tbsp raw honey
1/3 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp coconut oil
Pinch fine ground sea salt
Handful pomegranate seeds

Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the package if you haven’t already. Here’s a tip—plan ahead: soak and cook quinoa, lentils and a few other ingredients like chickpeas and buckwheat and keep on-hand in the fridge for multiple recipes throughout the week. My fridge is always filled with glass containers of pre-soaked and cooked nuts, seeds and grains. It makes meal prep so much easier.

Place cooked quinoa in a small pot and pour in almond milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow to cool a bit and then serve in a bowl (sweeten more to taste if you like) topped with pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!

Save any leftovers in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week—reheat on the stovetop, never a microwave.

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