Cinnamon Spice Cookies (Grain-Free)

what you need:

• ¼ lb butter
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup honey
• ¾ cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons kefir (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ to 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

what you do:

Melt butter and beat with eggs and honey. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Set dough in refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Place half of dough on coconut floured surface and roll to about ¼ inch thickness with rolling pin. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes. Place cookies on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool off. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate.

This post was shared on Monday Mania and Fat Tuesday.

Grain Free "Vanillekipferl"

Vanillekipferl were my favorite Christmas cookies when I was growing up. The dough for these cookies consists of flour, sugar, butter, and ground hazelnuts (or almonds). The baked cookies are then coated with a mixture of powdered sugar and vanilla flavored sugar. I made these last night and decided to try a grain-free version of them. I doubt they taste anything close to the real thing, but DH said they are good which means a lot. He's pretty picky when it come to grain-free baked goods or meals.

what you need:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/8 cup of honey
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream (you can use coconut milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

what you do:

Mix or knead all ingredients until well mixed and a soft dough forms. Place in fridge for 10 to 20 minutes. Form half moon shapes and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

This link was shared on Monday Mania and Fat Tuesday.

Paleo "Beef Rouladen"

Rouladen are a typical Germany meal and made from beef. The name refers to the actual piece of meat you get from the butcher (typically taken from round roast, tip roast, etc.) and it also refers to the finished meal. In its simplest form it's a thin piece of "rouladen" with some onions or pickles or something, rolled up and sort of cooked like a roast. My mom and grandmother used to fill theirs with bacon, seasoned ground beef, onions, and pickles, so that's how I make mine. Rouladen are often served with potatoes, gravy, and warm red cabbage. The gravy is usually made with flour of course. I am skipping that step since flour is not Paleo and I am making sweet potatoes for DH.

what you need (for 4 Rouladen - I made 10 for 4 people):

• 4 pieces of round steak roughly 3/16 inch thick
• mustard
• 2 medium to large onions
• 8 (or so) slices of bacon
• salt and pepper to taste
• tallow, pork fat, palm oil, or coconut oil
• pickles (homemade or whatever brand you like - I used Bubbies)
• fresh parsley
• 1 lb ground beef
• spices of your choice for ground beef

what you do:

Season ground beef with spices you like. If you are brave you can taste it. Chop pickles and onions. 

Spread some mustard on each "steak" and season with salt and pepper. Place slices of bacon on steaks, divide ground beef evenly between steaks, then add chopped pickles and onions. Roll up each steak as tight as possible, then secure end with a "Rouladen Nadel" or wrap with some sewing yarn.

 

Heat oil of choice in a large pot and brown Rouladen on all sides. Add onions and sautee until translucent. 

Add water so Rouladen are just covered, bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer with the lid on. Simmer for roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. Remove Rouladen from pot, puree onions to make a gravy, and season to taste. Remove Rouladen needles or thread and place Rouladen back into the gravy.

Unfortunately after this I forgot to take pictures, but the finished product looks something like this. 

This post is part of Sunday School, Monday Mania, and Fat Tuesday.

Voyager of the Seas in New Orleans

An Update

It's been roughly 2 weeks since I broke my fast and things are going so so. Overall I tolerate more foods now, like egg yolks, ghee, kefir, and some others, and I can eat sauerkraut brine and other ferments without debilitating die off. However, I also started back on systemic enzymes and started taking a natural anti-fungal/anti-bacterial. So in a way I still have the same or similiar symptoms as I did before the fast, but now it's with taking probees, ferments, and stuff to kill bacteria and fungi. The abdominal distention is as bad as ever, or maybe worse, and I wish I didn't have to eat.


In January I will be seeing Dr. Dahlgren at the Comprehensive Medical Center in Kirkland, WA. This is Dr. Klinghardt's clinic and I am very excited about going. My appointments are on January 10, 11, 12, and 13, so I will be flying in on January 9th. There will be a lot of testing in various forms and visits with Dr. Dahlgren who is a naturopath.

Dr. K and his docs treat Lyme and co-infections with herbs and other natural remedies. They also advise patients to make sure their home is mold free for which they recommend ERMI, and to remove as many EMFs as possible. They address insulin resistance (with niacinamide) and Kryptopyrroluria because addressing those two makes treating Lyme and co-infections easier to according to Dr. K. Next they treat parasites, because most Lyme patients have them and I still suspect that this is the cause of the abdominal distention and constant hunger for me. Last but not least, they treat Lyme bacteria and any co-infections with herbal remedies while simultaneously strengthening the immune system.


Knowing I will be going to see one of Dr. K's doctors gives me hope that things will finally improve. It is also the only thing that is keeping me going right now because I can't say that I am enjoying my life at the moment. I mean, how do you have fun and find joy when every day is filled with pain, fatigue, discomfort, nausea, dizziness, red/burning eyes, constant and I mean CONSTANT hunger, pressure or pain in your belly, and more? If it wasn't for these appointments I am not sure how I would make it through each day.

Simple Chicken Heart and Liver Pâté

• 12 chicken hearts, boiled
• 2 chicken livers, boiled
• 1/3 small onion, boiled
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons ghee, butter or other fat
• sage, salt, and pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients then place in refrigerator.

Creamy Curry Soup with Curried Chicken Breast

I decided to make another soup for DH in my new OmniBlend using the leftover veggies from my broth. He liked it so here it goes.

• 1 pound chicken breast (cut into small chunks)
• 2 cups leftover, already cooked veggies
• 1 1/3 cups coconut milk
• 1/3 cup raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon thai curry seasoning (we bought this when we got the Vitamix)
• 1/2 cube blend it up bouillon (also a Vitamix thing but any bouillon will do)
• 2-3  tablespoon sesame oil
• curry powder, salt, pepper to taste

Sautee chicken breast in sesame oil, add curry powder, salt and pepper.

When the chicken is almost done cooking, place the almonds, coconut milk, and spices in the blender.

Heat the vegetables and add to the blender as well.

Process on 90 second setting if you have an OmniBlend, otherwise just process until well blended. Pour soup into bowls and add chicken. If I had had any cilantro left I would have added a few cilantro leaves as well.

*This post was shared on The Healthy Home Economist and Real Food Forager.