Paleo Foods and Recipes

Nearing the end of week three of this Paleo challenge, and I have tried so many new recipes that I just love...now why haven't I eaten like this before? I don't necessarily feel more energetic, but I don't get drained as easily (even on the really long days), and I will say my stomach definitely has not felt upset for any reason. I also haven't been letting myself get overly hungry, and when I do start getting hungry, I'm reaching for one of my many prepared snacks.

In particular, I am surprised how much I like the baked goods I've made. Not using mounds of sugar and bleached flour doesn't make things any less tasty, that's for sure! And if you know me, you know how much I love to bake, so quite a few of the new recipes are for baked goods.

A few of the recipes I will use repeatedly are:


No-Bake Protein Bars

2 cups nuts (I used almonds, macadamia, and hazelnuts)
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup almond or sunbutter
1/2 cup pure whey
1/3 cup dried fruit
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tbs vanilla

Put nuts, flax, sea salt in food processor and chop up (some big chunks remaining work well).
Melt coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla together.
Pour the nut mixture into the melted oil/butter/vanilla and add whey and dried fruit.
Mix everything evenly and pour into a 10x8 inch (ish) pan.
Stick it in the fridge for an hour.

You can also add 1/2 cup shredded coconut, but my spin was adding 1/4 cup chopped, freeze-dried bananas.

If you want a chocolate kick, either add dark chocolate chips to the mix or melt some dark chocolate and coconut oil on the stove, pour over bars and cool in the fridge.

The bars will keep better in the fridge, but they travel fine without staying cool. They are great for a snack when you are on the go, and are easy to change up and create your own version.


For the baked version, simply add 3 eggs, 2 more tbs vanilla, 1/2 cup almond meal, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. I like the no bake version better because they stay moist, whereas the baked ones tend to dry out.

These are more expensive to make (the nuts in particular are pricey), but they are definitely less expensive than buying your own protein bars! Plus, the recipe yields 12-18 bars, and are much healthier.

Zucchini Noodles

2 small zucchinis
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbs almond mealflour
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic

Julienne the zucchini and place in a colander or wire strainer and toss with the salt until coated. Allow to sit for 20 minutes to drain excess water, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Mix the almond flour with the coconut oil, sprinkle it with a smidgen of salt, then sauté in the pan, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until it’s toasty brown, about 1 minute. Remove from pan and save for garnish.

Return the pan to the heat and add the zucchini noodles. Sauté until just tender, about 1-2 minutes. Push the noodles to the side of the pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Wait a minute; it’s essential that the pan cools down before adding the eggs. Add the olive oil and garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, about 20 seconds, pour in the eggs and allow them to cook until just beginning to set a tiny bit. Mix the zucchini noodles into the egg and continue to stir gently and continuously until the egg is set and clinging to the noodles. Add the almond crumble mixture to the top and salt/pepper to taste. Fresh parsley is good on top too. This one is amazing...I do NOT miss pasta with this option lying around.

Buttery leeks with eggs

2 leeks
2 eggs
Bacon, sausage, or chicken
1 tbs coconut butter (could use real butter too)
1/2 tsp white pepper (or really any seasoning you like)

Cut leeks lengthwise and then in 1/2 inch segments. Melt butter in pan on stove (low-medium heat) and add leeks. Saute leeks for about 10 minutes until tender (not brown). Prepare eggs however you like them and add the white pepper to these (I prefer scrambled).


Put leeks down on a plate, add eggs on top, add meat on top of that, and indulge. I paired mine with some warm berries and walnut crumble.

Gingerbread Cake (this is a good splurge cake)


1 cup pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup almond butter  
1/4 cup honey
1 tbs pure maple syrup
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Melt the honey and almond butter together in a large bowl. Mix together and slowly add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until smooth. Bake in a cake pan (either round or 8x8) at 350 for about 25 minutes (make sure center is cooked all the way through).

If you're feeling like you need icing...


1/3 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Melt all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk (or use hand beater) until the mixture becomes whipped. Pour on top of cooled cake (the cake HAS to be completely cooled or else it will be a mess!) and garnish with walnuts or almonds or cinnamon or all of the above.

Egg Cupcakes

10 eggs
1 zucchini
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup meat of your choice (bacon or sausage is best)

Put zucchini and spinach in food processor and chop until fine. Pour into a bowl, add eggs, and whisk  together. Add meat of choice. Ladle mixture into a well-oiled cupcake tin (seriously...I oiled mine and these still stuck like crazy!), or use cupcake liners, at about 2/3 the way full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. These can freeze and be reheated and you're more than welcome to experiment with veggies and spices!

All in all, I'm liking this style of eating. It's not nearly as limited as I had originally thought (in fact, I'm pretty sure you can find a way to make almost anything). They key is to prepare stuff ahead of time. So I've been spending my Sundays grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking for the week ahead.

  It makes for a cozy rest day :-)

Ready to cook/eat celery, bacon, radishes, leeks, turnips, and protein bars. 

I've also found some great recipe blogs that give me ideas, if nothing else, of foods and preparations to try. ChowStalker is great! Not all of the recipes are Paleo, but most are. This blog has some tasty recipes as well (where I got the gingerbread cake recipe).

Other things I've made include my own jerky (turned out better than I expected), cupcakes (YES), curried almond chicken (yum!), root veggie chips, chicken soup, and curried bacon. I never knew how delicious curried bacon was until I ate some at the Berkshire...it was so good I had to go to the store immediately to buy stuff so I could make my own.