Caveman Cookie Dough
I think I mentioned how I am doing an 8-week challenge with people at my Crossfit gym. Today is day four and I'm happy to say I am still alive.
While I try to eat "well" on a daily basis, I don't always take time to meal plan or prep in advance which means that I end up stuffing my face with some crazy-run-around-town drive-thru crap. On really bad days I'll starve until 9:00 p.m., at which point I am so ravenously hungry I will shove myself full of whatever food is most readily available and the least demanding to prepare. Food that meets these guidelines is generally not considered "healthy", nor does it actually qualify as food in most cases! While I was able to maintain this kind of vicious cycle in my younger days, the mid-40s are not as kind. Therefore, when I neglect to fuel my body with healthy foods on a reasonable schedule it rebels in all sorts of unpleasant ways. Ergo, the challenge (which you can read about here). Plus, I think I am the only person on Earth who gains weight in the summer!
*****
I dislike "diets" because 1) I don't like rules, 2) I don't like failure and 3) I never want my kids (especially my girls) to ever hear me make negative comments about food (except for cucumbers and watermelon because those are GROSS). The few times I've ever gone on a "diet", it's turned out something like this:
Fortunately, eating "paleo" (which is what most Crossfit gyms recommend) is more like a lifestyle change than a restrictive regimen of points and systems. Even more fortunately, a couple of my workout girlfriends are excellent cooks, so we have arranged a system of meal exchanges. Sometimes this means that I pay for ingredients and another friend cooks; sometimes it means that we all cook and share extras with each other to alleviate the workload. Either way, I've been eating pretty well.
The one thing I have a terrible time weaning myself from is sugar. I love sugar. I crave sugar. I could legitimately qualify for a residential drug treatment program based upon habits and behaviors alone. Obviously, processed sugars of all kinds are a big no-no on Paleo, and even natural sugars are acceptable only in very small quantities, butI find it hard to believe that Paleolithic man got by with no sugar at all. Just think - if caramel apples and Slurpees and Nutella and Rolos had been around, maybe the cavemen would've had the energy to invent more than just the wheel.
Anyway, I firmly believe that into every life a little sweet must fall, so thankfully one of my Paleo girlfriends hipped me to this recipe for Paleo Cookie Dough. Now...this is by no means "healthy", nor should you inhale an entire dish of it in less than 24 hours (like some people I know). It IS however, much healthier for you than say, real cookie dough, and perfect if you are trying to eliminate processed foods, grain and dairy from your diet. I daresay this actually tastes better than "real" cookie dough. While I doubt that cave people actually produced this exact recipe, one thing that IS Cro-Magnon about this recipe is the grunts of joy that it will evoke.
Come to mama!!
PALEO COOKIE DOUGH**
1.5 cups almond flour
1.5 Tbs coconut flour
1/3 tsp. sea salt
1/3 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c, melted coconut oil
1/3 c. maple syrup (the real stuff, NOT Log Cabin or Aunt Jemima, for crying out loud!)
1/2 c. "Enjoy Life" brand chocolate chunks
Mix dry ingredients in one bowl
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl
Mix together
Press dough into 8x8 glass pan
Chill until firm
Keep chilled in an airtight container
**Tell kids and husband that this is part of your special "paleo" regimen and I swear they will steer clear of it! (suckers!!)
While I try to eat "well" on a daily basis, I don't always take time to meal plan or prep in advance which means that I end up stuffing my face with some crazy-run-around-town drive-thru crap. On really bad days I'll starve until 9:00 p.m., at which point I am so ravenously hungry I will shove myself full of whatever food is most readily available and the least demanding to prepare. Food that meets these guidelines is generally not considered "healthy", nor does it actually qualify as food in most cases! While I was able to maintain this kind of vicious cycle in my younger days, the mid-40s are not as kind. Therefore, when I neglect to fuel my body with healthy foods on a reasonable schedule it rebels in all sorts of unpleasant ways. Ergo, the challenge (which you can read about here). Plus, I think I am the only person on Earth who gains weight in the summer!
*****
I dislike "diets" because 1) I don't like rules, 2) I don't like failure and 3) I never want my kids (especially my girls) to ever hear me make negative comments about food (except for cucumbers and watermelon because those are GROSS). The few times I've ever gone on a "diet", it's turned out something like this:
Fortunately, eating "paleo" (which is what most Crossfit gyms recommend) is more like a lifestyle change than a restrictive regimen of points and systems. Even more fortunately, a couple of my workout girlfriends are excellent cooks, so we have arranged a system of meal exchanges. Sometimes this means that I pay for ingredients and another friend cooks; sometimes it means that we all cook and share extras with each other to alleviate the workload. Either way, I've been eating pretty well.
The one thing I have a terrible time weaning myself from is sugar. I love sugar. I crave sugar. I could legitimately qualify for a residential drug treatment program based upon habits and behaviors alone. Obviously, processed sugars of all kinds are a big no-no on Paleo, and even natural sugars are acceptable only in very small quantities, butI find it hard to believe that Paleolithic man got by with no sugar at all. Just think - if caramel apples and Slurpees and Nutella and Rolos had been around, maybe the cavemen would've had the energy to invent more than just the wheel.
Anyway, I firmly believe that into every life a little sweet must fall, so thankfully one of my Paleo girlfriends hipped me to this recipe for Paleo Cookie Dough. Now...this is by no means "healthy", nor should you inhale an entire dish of it in less than 24 hours (like some people I know). It IS however, much healthier for you than say, real cookie dough, and perfect if you are trying to eliminate processed foods, grain and dairy from your diet. I daresay this actually tastes better than "real" cookie dough. While I doubt that cave people actually produced this exact recipe, one thing that IS Cro-Magnon about this recipe is the grunts of joy that it will evoke.
Come to mama!!
PALEO COOKIE DOUGH**
1.5 cups almond flour
1.5 Tbs coconut flour
1/3 tsp. sea salt
1/3 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c, melted coconut oil
1/3 c. maple syrup (the real stuff, NOT Log Cabin or Aunt Jemima, for crying out loud!)
1/2 c. "Enjoy Life" brand chocolate chunks
Mix dry ingredients in one bowl
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl
Mix together
Press dough into 8x8 glass pan
Chill until firm
Keep chilled in an airtight container
**Tell kids and husband that this is part of your special "paleo" regimen and I swear they will steer clear of it! (suckers!!)