Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

I've been craving chocolatey things lately.  So, I packed up all of my Paleo-friendly chocolate ingredients to-go this weekend and brought them to my parents house.  I felt like making something new- not the typical brownies or cookies, but something just as rich and decadent that contained a few extra nutrients.

My mom had a whole bunch of zucchini hanging out in the fridge, and I had chocolatey ingredients....  The obvious solution was chocolate zucchini bread!  I decided to skip the non-travel-friendly, pain-in-the-butt loaf idea, and went for individual muffins.  However, if you're feeling like a loaf would better suite your needs~ go for it!  This recipe would work either way.

Shredded Cauliflower: Tips & How-To

If your diet does not include gluten, grains, or starchy foods.. cauliflower should be your new best friend!  It has tons of nutritional benefits (Google them!) with very few calories.  Cauliflower also has an incredibly neutral flavor once it's cooked.  It can easily replace the rice, potatoes, and flour-y dough in many of your recipes~ while packing them with a nutritional punch. 

Recently, it has become much easier to find cauliflower florets at the grocery stores- all cut up and ready to go.  I've found them at Trader Joe's, Safeway/Vons, and Costco (in a jumbo 32 oz. bag!).  It's fairly inexpensive, easily accessible, incredibly good for you, and tastes awesome.... Go buy some :)

So, now that you've bought the cauliflower...... What are you supposed to do with it!?  There are so many options! You can roast it in the oven (like I did with broccoli in this post), steam it with mixed veggies, puree it for a "mashed" consistency, or- my favorite- shred it into "rice"!

Tropical Green Smoothie

I'm here (late) with my ode to St. Patrick's Day.... My favorite green smoothie! 

Sorry about the whole late thing, but fortunately this green treat can be enjoyed any/every day :)

This has been my go-to smoothie recipe for a while now.  I love the sweet, smooth flavor and how thick & creamy it is.  It doesn't get much better in my book as far as smoothies go.  This recipe tastes like a tropical milkshake~ and if I was drinking it blindfolded, I would never guess it was green.  Plus, it's SO good for you!

I love adding spirulina powder~ the stuff that makes it green.  There's tons of info out there online about the benefits of this superfood, so do a quick Google search!  It's packed with protein, amino acids, calcium, and iron... just to name a few.  You will also find apple cider vinegar on my ingredients list.  It's not a must, but I love it for the stomach-soothing and antibiotic properties. Another good one to Google if you're interested :)

On with the recipe, but first a tip: Always use frozen fruit in your smoothies! Cuts out the need for ice & keeps your drink from getting watered down. 

Three-Ingredient Paleo Pancakes