Pumpkin Pie Custard

My friend brought over a Paleo cookbook yesterday and while I was flipping through it I stopped on a recipe for a Pumpkin Pie Custard. Fall is my favorite season (although now that I live in STL, it may become winter) :) and I am so happy that it is finally upon us. I know it isn't October yet but I can't help myself - I have already broken in the pumpkin recipes for the season!!!!

So, while browsing the recipe I realized that I already had all of the ingredients and decided to try it out right then and there. It literally took me 4 minutes to get it prepped and in the oven! With such an easy prep I was just crossing my fingers that it would be a keeper. And I was in luck - it was! I plan on eating this three or four times a month for the next 3 months.

Pumpkin Pie Custard
serves 2

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch of grated nutmeg
pinch of salt



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil a pot of water - just enough to create a water bath.
3. Beat together the pumpkin puree, egg, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and coconut milk. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until well combined. Pour into small ramekins.
4. Place ramekins in a baking dish with sides. Carefully add enough boiling water to come up halfway to the top of the ramekins. Place in the oven very carefully to not slosh any water onto custards.
5. Bake about 45 - 60 minutes (depending on depth of the ramekins) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let sit until room temperature or slightly warm.

*** Recipe from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

Chicken Spinach Salad with Apple, Walnuts, and Bacon

I got this recipe from the starter meal plans from Tarryn and boy was it perfect! Matt not only loved it for dinner but also asked if we had enough leftovers for him to have it as a lunch the next day. Coming from a guy that isn't a huge fan of salads for dinner - it seems like a pretty good review.

The Dijon dressing is perfect with the tart apple, the smokiness from the bacon, and the deep toasted flavor in the walnuts. I ended up using a smoky spice blend to season our chicken before cooking it (but still tossed it with some of the dressing ahead of time) and it was a perfect choice. If you'd rather just salt and pepper your chicken, feel free but this is what we'll use again in the future. It would also be a great way to just use whatever leftover chicken you have on hand.

Chicken Spinach Salad with Apple, Walnuts, and Bacon
serves 2

1/2 cup walnuts                                                       Smoky Spice Blend
1 chicken breast (about 10 ounces)                             1 teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar                                    1 teaspoon paprika
1 & 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard                                  1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt                                                            1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon black pepper                                          1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil                                                           1/2 teaspoon black pepper
5 ounces bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1 granny smith apple, cut into matchsticks
4 cups spinach

1. Toast walnuts at 400 for 3 minutes. Stir and toast another 3 minutes. Chop and set aside.
2. Slice chicken lengthwise to make thin fillets. Season chicken with the Smoky Spice Blend and cook over medium high heat until cooked through. Let cool and slice thinly.
3. Blend red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil until well emulsified. Drizzle about 1/3 of dressing over the chicken in a large bowl and let sit 5 minutes.
4. Add walnuts, bacon crumbles, red onion, apple sticks, and spinach to the bowl with chicken. Toss well with extra dressing and serve.

Paleo Daily #1

Paleo Day 1 (of a 30 day "reset"):

You know what's great about loving to cook? It's a little easier to stay on a diet since we don't have to break habits of eating out or eating prepared dinners all the time.


Breakfast: We made Paleo Pumpkin Pancakes. I have to admit that these were just OK. The flavor was decent but they were so dense but I have an idea about how to fix that. With that being said, I'm going to wait to post that recipe until we've improved it.

Lunch: Turkey, Avocado, and Bacon Lettuce Wraps. I've posted a blog about these before because I love lettuce wraps instead of sandwiches. Check it out here if interested. Basically I just cut out the dairy by layering iceberg lettuce leaves with smashed avocado, sliced deli turkey, and a half of a piece of bacon. Plenty of flavor and salt to satisfy this girl.

Dinner: Italian Steak Faux "Pizza" and a Zucchini Ribbon Salad. I want to point out that this isn't really pizza because there is no CHEESE but I'm not really sure what else to call it. Any suggestions? It was pretty tasty. We're going to try it again with other flavor profiles too. I'm thinking a Mexican fajita, Paleo BBQ Chicken, and (if the Paleo Ranch is any good) a Buffalo Chicken Ranch version. We'll see!

Dessert:  Fruit and Coconut Whipped Cream Trifle - IT WAS DELICIOUS. This is going to be a snack, dessert, what-have-you often in this household. Of everything today, the pineapple version was my favorite new recipe.

Fruit and Coconut Whipped Cream Trifle

OMG this is tasty. We'll be using this in the Taylor household a lot in the future because it was so easy and yummy!

You could use whatever fruit and nut combination you'd like. In this photo we used frozen mixed berry combination with sliced almonds. Later in the day we also tried it with frozen pineapple chunks (no nuts) and it was delicious!

Fruit and Coconut Whipped Cream Trifle

Coconut milk, full fat, chilled in the refrigerated
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Mixed fruit, frozen or fresh
Sliced almonds

1. Place mixing bowl, whisk attachment, and canned coconut milk in the freezer for 10 minutes.
2. On high speed, whip coconut milk with vanilla extract in the chilled bowl with chilled beaters. Beat until firm peaks form.
3. Layer fruit with whipped coconut cream. Top with sliced almonds and serve immediately.

Italian Steak "Faux" Pizza

I hesitate to actually associate this dish with pizza but I can't think of a better name for it. SUGGESTIONS anyone???

There is no cheese and the crust is made from cauliflower. BUT before you dismiss it right here and now, I should point out that even Matt was a big fan and wants to make it again next week. He said that the cauliflower crust was the closest thing to bread that isn't actually bread so he's one happy man. 

Italian Steak Faux "Pizza"
serves 2

Roasted Tomato Pizza Sauce (MY FAVORITE PIZZA SAUCE - just happens to be Paleo):

1.5 pounds Roma Tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped coarsely
1 large garlic clove, smashed
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on your tastes.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss all ingredients until well mixed. Spread in an even layer in a baking sheet with sides.
3. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and have broken down.
4. Let cool slightly. Blend together until mostly smooth but a little chunky.

Cauliflower Crust:

1 medium head of cauliflower
3 teaspoons dried Italian seasonings (you could also use fresh or sub out other seasonings)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
Cooking spray

1. Trim and rinse the cauliflower florets (you don't need the stems). Put in a food processor and pulse until fine pieces.
2. Cook for about 3 minutes with just a little bit of water. You won't need that much water since cauliflower already has so much water in it.
3. Transfer to a fine mesh colander and push out as much liquid as possible. Then use a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth to squeeze out even more liquid. It's important to get rid of as much water as possible. Then I let it dry at room temperature for a while to dry it out even more.
4. Add  seasonings and egg to cauliflower and stir.
5. Lay out parchment paper on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Turn mixture out onto parchment paper and compact into a "crust" shape (whatever shape you want). It should  be about 1/3 inch thick.
6. Bake at 400 degree for 30 minutes or until golden brown.


Top with whatever toppings you want and voila! you have a paleo friend faux "pizza." Here we used Italian seasoned top sirloin, thinly sliced red onion, and thinly sliced red bell pepper with a bunch of the Roasted Tomato Sauce. YUM.

Paleo Intro + Before/After Photo progress

Hello my old friends! It's been a while.

A few months ago I learned of a slight medical imbalance that I have. It's nothing serious (so no worries) but I am finally wanting to get everything in check. A sort of rejuvenation - a new job, a new diet, and all with Matt's full support doing it with me. He's such a great guy :)

We're starting the Paleo diet to get things started off on the right foot. It's going to be pretty hard so I thought that I'd enlist the encouragement of anyone reading this to help keep me focused!

This is embarassing but for the sake of holding myself accountable, here is the ugly truth - my before pictures and my before weight. Hopefully after this "30 day reset" I'll be proud to have better photos and a better number to report! I mean, it's already gotten better than it was, right?

This is from November and December 2010 when I was at my heaviest (236.8 pounds!).

This is my current photo set. Here I'm 210.0 pounds. That's right.... 26.8 pounds down. It's amazing how much 26.8 pound sounds like a lot but there doesn't seem like a huge difference to me. It must be time to get back in the gym!!!!

I have to say that just looking through all these photos has really reaffirmed the fact that this is just for me to get healthier. I am so glad that I can look back and say that no matter my weight, I've always been happy. Good to know that I don't necessarily let my weight control that!

So that's it for my introduction to Paleo post. I'm going to post some of our first experimental recipes soon. Stay tuned!