Paleo Carrot Cake
with Coconut Frosting
*We used 1/2 the ingredients and made them into cupcakes, instead of a double-decker cake.
*Added the optional ground flaxseeds.
*Omitted the Coconut Ice Cream recipe
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As you all know, my husband and I recently failed our Candida test. So, this week, we started the dreaded diet. Dun, Dun, Dun.
Okay, so moments are hard, but it hasn't been too bad, actually. My DH is having detox headaches everyday, but I'm actually doing okay. I've had to eat very restricted before, so it's nothing foreign to me. It is, however, even more restrictive than what I was eating before. So, as long as I can find my healthy cheats substitutes, I'm good!
Here's how I'm surviving! Enjoy!
Notes: I used cold-pressed coconut oil in the recipe. And I also used coconut oil when making these. They stick to the pan like no other, so be generous in your oil amounts when cooking and flipping them. Also, I totally loved that these are primarily made with nothing but healthy protein. As my picker eater daughter scarfed them down, I smiled inside with delight! Muhahaha!
I totally wish that I could've topped mine with bananas, like the original poster did in her picture, but the diet strictly requires no fruit (which is killing me, by the way). So, I topped mine with almond butter and then I had to get creative, which is why I developed this...
Vanilla Frosting
1-2 tsp cold-pressed coconut oil
Mix all the ingredients together. Pop in the microwave for about 10 seconds and stir. Yum!
Next, my dear friend Andrea has been on the anti-candida diet for 3 months, so she shared a wonderful almond bread recipe with me. She got the recipe from this source: Naturally Savvy.
Naturally Savvy's Easy Almond Butter Bread
Notes: I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, given the ingredients. When I turned mine out of the pan (I greased my pan with organic butter since I didn't have parchment paper and I've learned the hard way that you're not supposed to put wax paper in the oven!) I was shocked at how light and airy it was. The consistency of this bread is more like a souffle than a bread. This bread, admittedly, doesn't have much flavor on its own, but I've toasted it and topped it with a thin layer of more almond butter and it hit the bread spot beautifully!
Changes:
*1/8 c Vega Vanilla Chai instead of the Sun Warrior
*omit raw cacao
*We didn't have allspice so we ended up only using cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
*4 tsp of plain ol' chia seeds instead of some being sprouted.
*1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
Notes: My DH wasn't impressed with this recipe, but I really liked it. It reminded me of eating red hot candies with the cinnamon spice in there. Anything that resembles sweetness to me and I'm on board!
Turkey Asparagus Macaroni Bowl
I was craving some spaghetti, but tomatoes aren't allowed on the diet, so I had to get creative. Hence, this delicious masterpiece for lunch today!
1/4-3/4 c Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta, cooked
1/4 c ground turkey, cooked
1/2 c Sauteed Asparagus (see below for recipe)
1 pat butter, organic
pizza seasoning, to taste (mixture of oregano, basil, marjoram and granulated garlic)
First, get your noodles cooking. Then, ground your turkey. And also make your sauteed asparagus recipe, if you haven't already done so. Once everything is done cooking, toss it with a pat of butter and enough pizza seasoning, to taste.
Whole Life Nutrition's Sauteed Asparagus (with Garlic and Lemon)
This dish would be lovely by itself or as a side to any protein. You can also serve it, like I did above, with cooked pasta or over cooked quinoa.
Serves 2-4
1-1.5 pounds asparagus
1 T extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 tsp sea salt
Trim the bottom ends off the asparagus. The ends are usually too tough and woody for consumption. Cut into 3-inch pieces. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add crushed garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add asparagus and saute for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and sea salt; stir well and serve immediately.
Note: I wanted to eat all 4 servings of this by myself! My asparagus got a little black coating in spots from the sautéing and it was pure heaven in my mouth! Yum! I'm salivating just thinking of them. Bedtime snack, anyone?
The weather in Minnesota has been so incredibly beautiful, that we decided to do something easy and bust out the grill for dinner tonight. DH came up with the following two recipes all by his lonesome. He's a great cook!
Basic Grilled Curry Chicken
chicken breasts, organic and hormone free
sea salt, to taste
garam masala, to taste
curry, to taste
Sprinkle salt, garam masala and curry over the uncooked breasts. Put directly on the grill for approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn halfway through.
Basic Grilled Green Beans
haricot verts (french green beans)
extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
Take a handful of green beans and place them into a sheet of tin foil. Fold up the edges of the tin foil. Drizzle the green beans with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with another sheet of tin foil. Put on the grill for approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn halfway through.
Hope those are a good start to enjoying your journey with anti-candida, or just to enjoy some yummy recipes. There is more to come!
For tonight, I'll leave you with two other things that are saving me on this diet right now.
Coffee is strictly forbidden, unless it is chickory coffee. I'd never heard of that before, so for the past 2 days I've gone coffee-free and it was not fun. Imagine my delight when I went to Trader Joe's and found this!
And tea is also very restricted to only a few certain kinds that are allowed. I ran out of cinnamon tea, but found this Aveda Comforting Tea in my pantry! It leaves you feeling like you're drinking sugar with a sweet aftertaste. Ahh... :-)
Goodnight, all.
