Posts tagged ‘Paleo birthday’

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November 26, 2011

A Minimalist Kid’s Paleo Birthday

My oldest boy Carl turned four last week and we didn’t have a party. Well, we didn’t have a party in the traditional sense of the word. If we lived near family, we totally would have had some people over, but we don’t so we did a Skype get together. It worked out swimmingly.

We also didn’t buy him any traditional gifts. Even before starting this minimalist journey, we never went crazy with birthdays. I feel like a person should be made to feel special on their birthday, and I don’t think commercialization and tons of gifts should be what does it.

Things were slightly different this year, because it was Carl’s first Minimalist and Paleo Birthday. Of course, it’s just a normal birthday to him, and I don’t put those labels on our life when I explain how or why we do things differently than a lot of other people, so I certainly didn’t label his special day as a Paleo Minimalist Birthday either…but, it totally was. And it was great. Here’s what we did to celebrate:

1. The Birthday Kid Gets to Pick All Meals…and gets to eat on the red “You Are Special Today” plate!

Breakfast: Paleo Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Primal Whipped Cream

Lunch: We walked to his favorite local restaurant where the kids had chicken and Daddy and I had bunless burgers.

Dinner: Gluten-Free Paleo Pizza with Primal Spinach Pizza with Feta Topping

Dessert: Paleo Pumpkin Cupcakes with Primal Cream Cheese Frosting

2. Open Gifts from Family:
While we don’t typically buy birthday gifts (I’m more likely to get something special on any-ol’-day because of great behavior or something “earned”), it makes most people feel good to buy gifts. This is especially true for long-distance relatives. Both sides of the family are usually really good about this and try to buy one nice thing or a few fun educational toys.

3. Talk to Family on Skype
My parents are in California and my hubby’s are in Massachusetts, so a Skype party is perfect! Short and sweet and everyone is happy.

4. Family Play Time
My husband works a lot. Birthdays are a day he makes sure to reserve completely for family, with little-to-no-work. We played with a few new toys as a family and just enjoyed each other.

That’s it. Nothing crazy. Nothing stressful. Nothing could have been better.

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Posted in Minimalism, paleo | 1 Comment »

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November 26, 2011

Recipe: Grain-Free Paleo Pumpkin Cupcakes with Primal Cream Cheese Frosting

Grain-Free Paleo Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil (or grass-fed butter)
9 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 + 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 + 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup palm sugar
1 tbs baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch salt

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a standard, jumbo, or miniature muffin tray, or use silicon or parchment paper liners.

Combine all wet ingredients and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth (no worries about over-mixing with Paleo ingredients).

Pour batter into muffin pan and bake approximately 10-12 minutes for mini muffins, 15-18 minutes for standard muffins, or 22-25 for jumbo muffins.

Important Note: Undercooking these (or really any) paleo cupcakes will result in a still-delicious, but impossible-to-remove-from-liner-cleanly product.  Make sure your toothpick really comes out clean before removing these from the oven!

Primal Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup to 1 cup softened full-fat cream cheese (grass-fed if you can find it, of course)

Splash of Grade B Maple Syrup (to taste)

Preparation:
Using a hand mixer, blend cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Spread on cupcakes when cool.

Disclaimer: These cupcakes are incredibly moist and delicious. That said, they are not nearly as sweet as traditional cupcakes. If you have been eating Paleo or Primal for a while though, these will definitely taste treat-worthy and plenty sweet enough! My kids loved these for my oldest boy’s fourth birthday, and the kids in his preschool class devoured them. Enjoy!

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November 25, 2011

Recipe: Gluten Free Paleo Pizza with Primal Spinach and Feta Topping

Gluten Free Paleo Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1 Cup Almond Meal
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
4 Eggs
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 to 3/4 Cup of Coconut Milk (until mixture is dough-like)

Preparation:

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees.

Combine dry ingredients, smashing all lumps in coconut and almond flours with fork. Add wet ingredients and mix with spoon or hands until it forms a ball. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet or pizza pan (I love my cheap dollar-store pizza pans) and roll out by hand or with rolling pin. It helps to add another sheet of parchment paper to the top of the dough while rolling out, otherwise it will stick to the rolling pin.

Bake the crust only in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

While the crust is cooking, prepare your topping.

Primal Spinach and Feta Pizza Topping

Ingredients:

1 Cup store-bought organic pizza sauce
-or-
1 cup tomato sauce with Italian seasoning to taste

1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped into small pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup full-fat feta cheese (grass fed and/or raw if you can find it)

Preparation:
When crust is finished pre-baking, spread sauce on crust. Sprinkle spinach evenly, then feta. Bake for 10 more minutes or so. Enjoy!

Posted in Food | 4 Comments »

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