Slacking and Snacking

I haven't truly been slacking with this blog, it just SEEMS that way because I haven't posted anything new as of late.

But the truth is that I have been pretty busy in the kitchen. I'm trying out new recipes and trying to dial in some changes before I share them with you here. I am [--- this close ---] to having things ready to share on at least 2 or 3 different recipes. But we've got to eat the results from my previous experiments before we can try again and make sure before I commit to posting them here.

In the mean time, I'd like to talk about snacks.

And I'll admit that this has been one of the tougher transitions to our Paleo-ish lifestyle. When you think about snacks, you want something quick, easy, and satisfying. And when you are avoiding sugary, pre-packaged foods, this can be a bit of a challenge. But we have found a few things that help to satisfy when we get a case of the munchies.

Nuts:
Our first go-to snack has been (& will likely continue to be) nuts. They're easy to take along with you, can be spiced for add flair, and are just an EASY way to add a few bonus calories to your day. Nuts are packed with protein and when seasoned just right can take the edge off of even a serious junk food craving.
Fruit:
After nuts, you'll often find us reaching for fresh fruit, nature's candy. In fact, we all enjoy at least one fruit snack per day. Personally, I prefer to mix a few fruits together in something resembling the fruit cocktail cups my mom packed in my lunch as a 3rd grader. I like to mix tart fruits (like black berries and raspberries) with something sweet (like strawberries, pineapple and/or peaches). The only drawback to this is that you have to keep a fair bit of fruit on hand (which means you have to take care to eat it all before it goes bad) and it takes a bit of prep time to put it all together. It's not a lot of time, but it's definitely more than grabbing a handful of almonds or tearing straight into an apple on its own.
Tuna:
Another snack I truly enjoy, but that again requires some prep time, are tuna wraps/boats. My mom makes the most amazing tuna salad I've ever enjoyed and this version comes pretty close to her original. The trick (for me) is to always make sure I sprinkle the top with a bit of smoky paprika. That added kick always makes this dish just sing, if you ask me. I will wrap up my tuna in a lettuce leaf, plop it on top of pickle slices (see below), or even use it as a dip for apple slices. If I have a Paleo bread on hand, I'll even enjoy it my favorite way - as a toasted sandwich. Once you get past the initial preparation time, this is a snack that will come together quickly when you need a quick bite and as a bonus, if you make a good bit of it at once (I like to use the "family size" cans of tuna) then you can keep it on hand for a few days at a time (unless you go nuts and eat it all at once - which I wouldn't advise, no matter how tasty you make it).
Chips:
At this point, I'm starting to reach when it comes to quality snacks. But we try to keep at least a bag or two of Paleo-friendly chips in the pantry. Our favorites are plantain chips, lightly salted. We will sometimes keep sweet potato chips on hand (I like to crush them and add them to several recipes as well). And then from time to time, we enjoy an "exotic mix" of taro, parsnip, sweet potato, and batata chips from our local grocery store. We can (& do) make most of these chips from scratch on our own from time to time, but when you just want a quick bite of something to keep you from cheating, going through the process of making your own rarely happens (at least in my kitchen). So having something like this on hand really helps. A word of caution though ... this is one of those cases where you REALLY need to read your labels. Most spiced chips (spiced with anything other than sea salt, that is), will likely contain sugar. It really narrows down your chip choices, but we have found at least 2-3 brands of chips in our local store that fit the bill. Just don't skip on reading those labels!
There are many more snacks, of course, but I have found that these are the ones we turn to most often. These require little or no preparation, will satisfy a particular taste (fruit for sweet, tuna for a snappy treat, chips when a salt craving hits, and nuts for a more filling snack), and are regular staples in our kitchen.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

If you have spent any time following this little blog, you know I have a bit of a sweet tooth. And I particularly crave chocolate. For me, it was a true relief to learn that dark chocolate is often featured in Paleo kitchens around the globe.

My chocolate donuts are a family favorite when we need to satisfy our sweet cravings and we often take them to pot luck dinners since they are such a decadent treat, enjoyed by even those who do not embrace Paleo cooking methods. But when faced with dinner with friends who have nut allergies, we needed to find a nut-free alternative to our favorite dessert.

These cupcakes feature coconut flour and arrowroot powder in place of almond meal. This recipe reminds me of devil's food cake in that it is moist and rich with a lovely dark color. Wonder Boy and I both really like dark chocolate and thus these were an instant favorite. Our friends all seemed to enjoy them as well. It is likely that this will be a recipe that we can take to church or school functions where you don't know if there will be anyone present with nut allergies.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Stuff You Need:

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1/3 cup arrowroot powder, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup all-natural applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbs vanilla
• 1/2 tsp liquid stevia
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Wisk cocoa powder, coconut flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in your mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, honey, vanilla, and stevia. Mix on high for at least 2 minutes. The longer you mix, the lighter and more airy the cupcakes will be.
4. With the mixer still running on low, drizzle in the melted coconut oil until well combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time until well incorporated.
6. Fill your cupcake pan with paper liners and fill 2/3 full with batter. This should make between 18 - 24 cupcakes, depending on how long you whipped up the batter.
7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
8. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before icing.

I suggest this fantastic whipped cream frosting recipe from Elena's Pantry for the icing! And if you are like me and prefer chocolate icing with your chocolate cupcakes, then I suggest you add 1 Tbs of cocoa powder to turn Elena's Whipped Cream Icing into a truly sinful tasting chocolate cream icing.