Recipe Review- Chocolate Zucchini Bread from PaleOMG

This recipe is not even borderline amazing, it is just amazing…Good god I could eat the whole batch. As you know by now I have been churning out tons of zucchini in the garden and I'm quickly finding and creating new recipes to eat all of it. 

I was at work a few days ago talking about my huge problems with too many zucchini on my counter and as soon as I said it I knew the next statement was coming- I wished I could retrace my words and go back but too late- someone said, " Oh why don't you make zucchini bread"! Ugh…No offense to you zucchini bread lovers out there but there is not another food on this earth that I have more disdain for…I mean, what food has such a cult following with people swearing that it is healthy- 'Oh I made zucchini bread and ate the whole thing it was so delicious but I was just eating vegetables so no biggie". Wrong. just because you add zucchini to something doesn't make it healthier- it is still laden with fat, calories, and sugar. It's about the same thing as eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut with a carrot on top.. Anyway, off topic…I don't care for the traditional bread…ok moving on..

I follow PaleOMG (Juli) on Instagram and think she's absolutely hilarious. So, I checked out her stash of zucchini recipes and her Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread one is a hit- No really- smack your mama good..She made hers as a loaf but my loaf pan was occupied with the chocolate cinnamon banana bread recipe I made yesterday..So muffins it was….

Here it is and I'm putting a direct link to her website for the recipe because she deserves muchos kudos for this one!

Recipe Here

What makes something that is Paleo better for you than traditional ways of cooking? GREAT question. It depends on particularly what you are making BUT with this bread it has no flour, no oil, no refined sugar, and every ingredient is a whole food- no processed crap! More about Paleo in the future I have eating to do :)

Sunday Funday Baking- Cinnamon Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

Cinnamon Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread

An Adventure with The Paleo Kitchen Cookbook

I am in love with the Paleo Kitchen Cookbook- as you can tell by the many bookmarks and papers I've stuffed in mine…I will say that for the average person this cookbook can initially seem obnoxious with their grass-fed butters, organic honeys, and coconut flours..BUT the recipes are wholesome, healthy, and really teach you creative ideas with food. You don't have to follow every ingredient- tweak it for how your life works. 

 Each recipe I make is better then the previous and their photos and write-ups are amazing. Great cookbook recommendation! Christmas idea maybe?! Anyway, this was my favorite thing thus far so I thought I'd share.

Ingredients:

coconut oil to grease the pan ( I used Pam spray because that's how I roll)

For the Bread:
4 Bananas
4 large Eggs
1/2 cup Butter (unsalted grass fed apparently is best- I used unsalted land-o-lakes..)
1/2 cup Almond Butter (yeah I only had peanut butter- what a travesty)
1/2 cup Coconut Flour- it's not that hard to find...click here to purchase
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

For the Swirl:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips ( again, apparently vegan-type chips are best…didn't have those either)
1 Tbsp honey

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan (can also line with parchment paper but I did not and it was fine). 

Combine bananas, eggs, butter, and almond butter in a mixer until they are creamy. 

Add the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well combined. 

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread out evenly. 

In a double boiler (aka a bowl in a pot of boiling water) over medium low heat, mix together the swirl ingredients until all the chocolate is melted. 

Pour the chocolate mix onto the loaf and use a butter knife to make swirls. 

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean ( Mine took closer to an hour because I was cooking other things at the same time). 

And BOOM- ENJOY! You will have no idea that this treat doesn't have oil, flour, or refined sugar in it!!! Nom Nom. 

The Best Pizza I've Ever Made

Peach Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Pizza

I picked up a few fresh peaches from Emily's produce in Cambridge MD ( great place if you haven't been). SO what to do with them? Well last year I made a great peach and prosciutto sandwich on ciabatta bread but I've been on an anti- bread kick lately so what else to make- pizza of course…Yes, its also bread but I could live the rest of my life without a sandwich ever again- However I guarantee you that I couldn't make it 1 month without pizza. This was the end result…Amazing! Good luck not eating the whole thing!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough (store bought or homemade, I used store bought)

2-4 cloves of Garlic, crushed (depending on how much you like)

1 c. Ricotta cheese

1 large Peach, sliced

1 pkg Prosciutto, torn into 3-4 inch pieces

1/2 c. Goat Cheese crumbles

fresh Basil & Oregano (could also use Rosemary)

drizzle of Honey

Pre-heat your oven to 500. Place a pizza stone in the oven to bring up to temperature. Once hot, remove the stone and place your pizza dough on it. I use a dusting of cornmeal on the stone to prevent it from sticking. Place back in the over for 2-3 minutes just to give it a light golden color. Take it out, flip it over and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and crushed garlic- spread evenly over crust. Place back in oven for another 2-3 minutes to get this side golden as well. It'll look something  like this..

Remove again, spread ricotta over crust. Top with peach slices, prosciutto, goat cheese, and your herbs. Place back in the oven just to melt the cheese and crisp the prosciutto (4-5 minutes). Remove and drizzle with honey. BOOM -AMAZEBALLS!! 

Who needs delivery when you have peaches?

Favorite Find- PB2

Who doesn't love peanut butter? It's a great add in for protein shakes, breakfast, and also a good source of protein. It is listed in the Abs Diet as a powerfood- so we should eat it all the time right? Sadly,  no. It comes packed with fat as well as protein so you have to moderate the intake- this is a real challenge for me since I can chow down on it non stop. So I had to find an alternative and I finally did. PB2
PB2 is a peanut powder that is made from drying and grinding peanuts to a fine powder- this process allows a great majority of fat to be removed. Just add a bit of water so create a traditional peanut butter consistently and save 145 calories per serving!

PB2 comes in traditional peanut butter flavor and also a chocolate peanut butter flavor- hheelloo yum!
I found it at Target and you can also order online at Amazon here.

Add it to your shakes, top on a banana or apple, or make an old school PB&J sammich- its great all around. Give it a try!

Nutritional Comparison per 2 Tbsp Serving

 

                                      Traditional Peanut Butter                                 PB2                       
                                                 190 cal                                              45 cal                               
                                                 17g of fat                                           1.5 g of fat