Eco-friendly & Healthy Easter Inspiration (plus recipe!)

Easter can be an unnecessarily junk-filled and wasteful time of the year so we wanted to put together some ideas and tips to help you, the family and the environment get a little healthier over this period!

You’ll find a new recipe at the end too: Gooey Caramel Easter Eggs!

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#1 from A Little Creative

“I use Easter as a time to be creative and have fun. I LOVE Easter hat parades… and NOT just buying cheap bling to stick on a cheap hat and then throw away pull out the recycled paper and cardboard and MAKE something unique! We also enjoy blowing real eggs out and then painting them, and storing them like Christmas decorations to bring out each year! We have an ‘Easter Tree’ that tends to be minimalist branches/sticks foraged and painted white to hang the painted eggs onto.

And our egg hunt is more cryptic with lots of clues and the kids having to search all around the house and yard for the next written clue and location to search “

Some great ideas and inspiration there for a more eco-conscious Easter with the family this year!

Check out their shop and special Easter items! What a great local Sunny Coast biz!

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#2 from My Little Party Hire

“My children are 12 and 6 and for them it is about the chocolate hunt. Key is to keep away from any chocolate that is wrapped or presented in plastic. Foil can be recycled. Collect the foils of your chocolate and form them into a big ball or disk. They have to be as big as your hand balms for the recycling machine to pick it up. “

YES!

The recycling promoters such as Planet Ark suggest say it’s essential all alfoil (not the ‘made from recycled materials’ kinds though) is rolled together into large balls before being placed in the curb side recycle bin.

Great tip Jasmin!

Visit the My Little Party Hire website

Find more eco Easter tips on the Planet Ark website

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#3 from Eat Yourself Green

“You can get eggs in bulk or per unit at any The Source Bulkfoods stores and it’s deliciously package free”

Love this idea for reducing plastic use and waste! Bulk foods stores usually have paper bags for scooping bulk foods in to buy, usually you can take a jar or your own bag too, as long as they can weigh it first. If you buy some healthier eggs or treats, place in a jar and pretty it up it makes a gorgeous and eco-friendly gift for loved ones!

Thanks Larissa!

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#6 from Kayley Farraway Tree Family Day Care

Egg Threading craft activity!

“- Recycled cereal box cut into eggs

– Hole punch

– Rainbow wool

**Tip – wrap some sticky tape around the end of the wool to make a needle like point, making threading easier for little hands.”

What a great way to use up scraps of yarn, to recycle/upcycle some cardboard laying around the house (or raid the recycle bins in the street for some) and to keep the kids occupied these holidays!

Also a fantastic activity for improving fine motor skills!

Thanks Kayley!

Visit the Farraway Tree website

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#7 from Our Kindi Folk

We love this great choc egg swap idea using timber eggs from a craft store (or get the hubby to make in the garage if he’s clever enough!) decorated with safe eco-friendly paints. Perfect for n Easter Egg Hunt, as decorations around the home in bowls or hanging with string, as gifts (you could personalise them for the recipients)… so much creativity to be enjoyed with these!

If you can find a local maker of something like this and prefer to buy instead of make, that’s an option too. These guys are in the UK so for any followers of ours over there, hit them up!

Check out their Facebook page

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BONUS IDEAS + RECIPES FOR A HEALTHY EASTER

Cook Eat Paleo has some great recipes for all elements of Easter

Find Easter Brunch ideas here

Paleo Leap has a full Easter menu available here

I also suggest sourcing ingredients produced locally when possible, fresh and organic meats, eggs, fruit and veggies, or at least use the Dirty Dozen Clean 15 list and make as many dishes and foods from scratch as you can so you have full control over what’s going into them.

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RECIPE: Gooey Caramel Easter Eggs

Ingredients

100g chocolate (your fave block from the health food section/store or chunks from the bulk bin – dark is best)

1/4 cup raw honey (locally sourced is best)

1/2 cup pure coconut milk

Pinch of pink salt

Water for the double boiler

​Handy items to have

• Tray
• Easter egg moulds
• Silicon spatula 
• Spoon
• Small saucepan
• Whisk
• Measuring cup
• Double boiler of some kind (I use a glass container that sits nicely on top of a saucepan)

Method

1. Make the caramel by simply heating the coconut milk, honey and salt in a small saucepan, whisking regularly and letting it thicken up to no longer have a runny consistency. Have the temp up high initially to allow the mixture to boil then turn it right down to simmer until ready. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down completely before using
2. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler method
3. Spoon the runny chocolate into the moulds and half fill them, ensuring the sides to the tops are coated. It can help to have had the moulds in the fridge beforehand, as the chocolate will then stay on the sides easier
4. Place the moulds on a tray and into the freezer to become firm
5. Remove them from the freezer and use a small spoon to place a dollop of cooled caramel sauce in the centre of each on top of the firmed chocolate
6. Spoon more runny chocolate over the top to fill in the rest of the space in the moulds then return to the freezer to finish setting. Keep a couple of teaspoons or so of runny chocolate aside for putting the egg halves together. Use a silicon spatula to tidy up any chocolate spillage and drips.
7. Once the rest of the chocolate has set, it’s time to bring the individual halves together by gently scoring the flat parts, rubbing on the last of the runny chocolate and firmly placing the halves together to make whole eggs then allowing, once again, to set (fridge or freezer). Try to fill in any gaps along the seems by using your finger to spread the chocolate

​These eggs should then be able to stay out of the fridge and can be wrapped in foil pieces from the craft store for gifts, egg hunts etc.

​The caramel won’t set, it’ll stay gooey inside.

See more healthy recipes here

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If you have any questions for us regarding these ideas and/or products we use, email us at info@primalinfluence.com or comment below.

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I hope this information and our perspectives and experiences help you and your family on your journey to better health!

Aimee

Primal Health Coach

Visit our website: Primal Influence | Follow us on socials: Facebook + Instagram + TikTok

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Recipe: Immune Booster Lollies

I have experienced some crazy unusual sickness and injury over the last few months. I’m baffled as to why this is so I’m going to try to work it out, and definitely boost my immunity back up so it ends and so I feel well again.

Clint and I eat 90% Paleo, get lots of nature time and I get “nakey bakey” most days (a new name for naked sun time my friend recently came up with. Love it!), so maybe some stress is the underlying cause? Well, whatever it is I know my eating could be improved a little, especially while my immune system is obviously weak.

One of the most popular natural health tonics today is raw juice. We, though, are not fans of regular juicing. Ooh, controversial…! The reason? There are two main ones: 1. Humans need to chew their food most of the time; our stomach enzymes that digest our food need to wake up to be ready for the food to arrive and that happens in the mouth when we salivate and CHEW! 2. Juicing removes a large portion of the essential fiber in the foods blended up. That’s wasteful and not healthy.

But some of the foods that go into making up ‘health tonic’ or ‘superfood’ juices can be pretty darn healing, so why not utilise them in a way the body can better use?

That’s why I decided to make some Immune Booster Lollies! Or “Gummies” if you wanna get technical 😉

These are really easy to make (as are most pure gelatin recipes), can easily be changed to suit tastes and allergies, and are easy to grab from the fridge during the day to get some goodness into the body.

Want to know how to make them yourself? Well alrighty, here you go!

IMMUNE BOOSTER LOLLIES

What you’ll need:

1 cup filtered/spring water

1 cup mixture of diced raw beetroot, carrot, green apple (peeled or not), fresh ginger (the beetroot taste can be overpowering so use less of this if you prefer)

6 tbsp pure beef gelatin powder (grab some from Gelatin Australia here).

Tips: Use half as much gelatin if you’re wanting to make jelly cups instead of lollies.

Tips: Add another tbsp gelatin for really firm lollies, especially if using molds. Use half as much if you’re wanting to make jelly cups instead of lollies.

Optional: Stevia powder or raw honey to your liking, to sweeten if needed.

Do this:

1. Pour water into a small-medium saucepan, stove turned off, and gently sprinkle the gelatin powder evenly over the surface of the water.
2. Once all the gelatin is on and appears translucent (this is called “blooming”) you can turn the stove to a medium heat to gently warm the liquid up. Use a whisk to stir as it heats up.
3. Once all gelatin granules have dissolved pour half the liquid into a blender jug along with the diced fruit, veg and ginger. Blend on high until you have a fine mixture with as few chunks and lumps as possible. If using a sweetener, add it to the blender to combine.
4. Pour the remaining gelatin liquid in and stir to combine. The more gelatin you blend with food the frothier the mixture becomes and ends up setting with a thick layer of froth. I prefer the texture of a bit of froth, not too much. For almost no froth blend the foods with just enough pure water needed then gently stir the gelatin liquid in. Possibly add a smidge more gelatin to the saucepan if you go with this method.
5. Once the mixture is blended to your liking you can pour straight into silicon molds or into a square/rectangle container to create a gummy ‘block’ to slice up once set.   Tip: if you’d prefer less texture from the food ‘bits’ then simply strain some of the liquid through a fine sieve but keep in mind that’s where a lot of the nutrients and fiber are.
6. Place in the fridge for a few hours to set firm. Remove from molds and store in an airtight bag or container in the fridge, or slice up the block into small squares.

Grab some to munch on during the day and enjoy the pure whole food healing goodness! Include some in the kids or your own lunchbox (as long as it stays cool), take on road trips, include them at parties.

Remember, these are versatile. Add or remove ingredients listed for others you’d prefer. Pretty much all of my recipes are versatile so you can adapt to your own tastes and needs!

If ALL of my gelatin recipes and all the techniques you’ll ever need to become a gelatin pro, grab my e-book here.

Let me know how you go with this recipe and happy healing 🙂

Aimee x

Recipe: Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice Choc Chip Biscuits (Paleo + nut-free)

Clint and I are going through periods of low and no-sugar eating at the moment because we need to for our health. He’s doing 30 days straight of no sugar and I’m 5 days on / 2 days off -ish.

It’s going really well for both of us; we’re each noticing improvements to our health, we’re feeling better, and we’re getting used to some of the swap foods we’ve been eating.

I went live on our Facebook page last week giving my tips for no and low sugar eating, because we’ve been through this quite a few times and can definitely give some advice on how to be successful with it. Watch the video HERE.

Yesterday I felt like baking so I had an idea of a biscuit I wanted to try.  I know pumpkin puree is a great natural sweetener and binder so I decided to try Pumpkin Spice Choc Chip Biscuits and was very pleased with the result!

They turned out nice and fluffy, quite moist and surprisingly moreish. The only negative… they’re best eaten warm. Not when they’ve completely cooled down as they then become a bit dry and definitely not as tasty. So if you wait until they’ve come out of the oven and have cooled just enough to still be warm inside, or you heat them up gently if they have cooled completely, then they are delicious! And warm biccies are so much more enjoyable in the cooler months, so it’s not a bad thing overall!

Here is the recipe for you…

 

PUMPKIN SPICE CHOC CHIP BISCUITS

(makes 8 large)

 

You’ll need:

1 egg

2.5 tbsp ghee

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 tbsp cacao nibs (as the ‘choc chips’. They don’t taste overly ‘chocolatey’ and don’t melt but give awesome crunch!)

2 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp nutmeg powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp each of bicarb soda and baking powder (look for gluten-free and aluminium-free)

3 tbsp organic green banana flour (buy some HERE)

1 tbsp arrowroot flour

6 tbsp pumpkin puree (Jap is usually the sweetest)

Pinch of pink salt

 

To do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Make pumpkin puree by peeling and dicing pumpkin then boiling until soft. Strain to remove water, then mash with a fork until no lumps or chunks remain. Let it cool slightly before adding to the other ingredients
3. Whisk egg and ghee in a bowl
4. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly
5. Use a spoon to dollop about 8 spoonfuls worth of mixture onto baking paper on a flat oven tray
6. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 mins or until the surface of the biscuits show golden brown colour
7. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool down just enough to handle and eat safely then serve

TIPS

• If you’re after more sweetness and aren’t on a low/no sugar eating plan, add raw honey or Grade B maple syrup to the mixture, and/or some chopped fresh Medjool dates. Yum!
• Add more or less of the spices depending on your personal taste
• Instead of boiling the pumpkin pieces, roast them instead on a medium heat until cooked through but without dark brown edges. This will add more sweetness and flavour
• For denser biscuits, leave out the bicarb soda, baking powder and apple cider vinegar. These ingredients help the mixture rise when baking and creates a fluffy texture, so without them the biccies will be flatter and more dense which some people may prefer

 

That’s it, really easy!

If you’d like ALL of my healthy green banana flour recipes grab my e-books HERE.

 

Happy cooking!

Aimee xx

Food + Cooking Coach @ Primal Influence

 

 

Recipe: Easy Chicken Coconut Curry (Paleo + dairy-free)

A great way to enjoy warming, comforting, hearty and healthy meals in the cooler months is to take advantage of energy-efficient and easy-to-use kitchen appliances like slow cookers!

 

One of my favourite dishes to make in my slow cooker is my Chicken Coconut Curry. It’s so easy to make, it’s really versatile, and it’s a great dish for those who don’t enjoy rich and spicy curries. I’ve actually given taste testers of my recipe to people who don’t normally eat curry and they’ve loved it!

 

It’s Autumn here in South East QLD right now so it’s cooling down and feeling like the right time to start making hearty soups, stews and curries. So here’s my Chicken Coconut Curry recipe for you to use and enjoy…

 

CHICKEN COCONUT CURRY

 

You’ll need:

4 organic chicken thighs or 2 breasts, chopped
1 tin Ayam coconut milk
1 large brown onion, chopped
2 carrots, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger (or more if you like), minced
2 fresh organic tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp organic curry powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
Himalayan salt, pepper to taste
Good cooking fat (ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, animal fat etc.)
Piece of fresh lemongrass
Up to 1 cup bone broth and/or water
Optional: Chili if you like heat, paprika, coriander leaves for flavour and garnish, other herbs and spices of choice, spinach leaves, celery

To do:

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan on low, add onions and allow to cook gently
2. Add garlic and chicken and slowly increase the temp but watching onion and garlic don’t burn
3. Add carrot to the saucepan along with the spices, lemongrass, any other herbs, salt, pepper, tomato, broth/water and coconut milk to the saucepan and reduce heat to a gentle simmer
4. Once all ingredients are cooked through, the carrot is soft and the liquid has reduced slightly, remove the piece of lemongrass
5. Serve by spooning the curry mixture over a flattened heap of cauliflower or white rice on a plate. Garnish with coriander leaves

Easy!

 

Enjoy 🙂

Aimee

Food + Cooking Coach – Primal Influence

Recipe: Winter Warming Porridge (Paleo + oat/nut-free)

Are you like me and miss enjoying a bowl of steaming oats and honey for brekkie in Winter time? If you’re no longer eating gluten and grains and miss oats as an easy breakfast option then you’ll love my healthy porridge recipe!

 

It’s even nut-free, a bonus for those who, like me, don’t do well on nuts, or are allergic to them.

The other bonus is it’s super quick and easy to make! It even has a similar texture to instant oats.

WINTER WARMING PORRIDGE – with blueberries

 

You’ll need:

1/4 cup organic green banana flour (buy here)
1/2 cup organic desiccated coconut + extra for garnish
Pure vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg powder (to your liking)
Ayam coconut milk for drizzling over to serve (use another milk if you prefer)
1–2 cups spring/filtered water
½ cup organic frozen blueberries
Drizzle of raw honey (optional)

Other flavour suggestions: Grade B pure maple syrup, Medjool dates pitted and diced, grated apple, any berries, slices of banana

Method:

1. In a small saucepan on very low heat add the spices aand stir to draw out flavour
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir will until warmed right through and blueberries have thawed. Add more water if needed until it reaches the consistency you like
3. Transfer to a serving bowl
4. Drizzle honey on, pour on coconut milk and garnish with a sprinkle of dried coconut

 

You can leave out the blueberries and add whatever fruit you like, add chopped nuts if you like, some cacao nibs, cocoa powder for a chocolate porridge bowl… this recipe is so versatile!

Grated apple adds freshness

Time saver tips:

Measure out a few serves worth of the dry ingredients, place in a large jar, shake well and store in the pantry to grab on mornings when you’re short on time. Spoon as much as you like into the saucepan, add the water and any other flavours (such as fresh fruit) you like, stir through then serve. This saves you time getting the dry ingredients together, yay!

To save even MORE time, use clean dried fruit and add to the jar! Such as sulphur-free dried banana, berries etc.  Freeze coconut milk into ice cube trays and keep a bag of cubes in the freezer so you always have some handy, then use one on top of your warm porridge. Easy!

Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

Want to know more about green banana flour? Watch this video!

If you’d like to grab ALL of my green banana flour recipes my e-books are available to purchase HERE!

 

Aimee x

Recipe: Carrot Spice Muffins with Lemon Icing (paleo + nut-free)

I’m so excited to be launching my TWO green banana flour recipe e-books in October that I’m giving you guys a taste test with this recipe!

Yesterday I whipped up a batch of Carrot Spice Muffins with Lemon Icing and they were so delicious. Clint enjoyed one after work and because they’re full of nutrients, they’re very filling so he could only fit one in. That’s amazing, Clint usually eats a lot!

So it’s good to know that they go a long way, which is handy when you’re spending a bit more cash on the ingredients, compared to conventional baking ingredients.

As with most of my recipes, this one is free from nuts as well as the usual inflammatory suspects like gluten, grains and dairy. But it’s not missing flavour, the most important element! I love that by using quality ingredients, just real food, and utilising herbs and spices, dishes can be full of flavour without compromising on health.

I won’t waffle on anymore, here’s the recipe for you…

CARROT SPICE MUFFINS WITH LEMON ICING

You’ll need:

Muffins:

1/2 cup green banana flour (buy some here)

1/4 cup coconut flour (buy some here)

1 tsp pure vanilla (paste, powder, bean)

1 tsp combination baking powder and bicarb soda (look for brands free from aluminium, gluten and rice)

1 tsp organic nutmeg

2 tsp organic cinnamon powder

2 tsp organic ginger powder

1 cup firmly packed grated organic carrot

2 tbsp raw honey

4 tbsp coconut oil (liquified)

2 pastured eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

 

(FYI: organic herbs and spices make a huge difference when it comes to adding flavour!)

Icing:

(I recommend you purchase a stick blender for making the icing, or use a small bullet blender, but anything larger will make it difficult to achieve the desired consistency because the creamed coconut is so firm)

1 tbsp raw honey

3 tbsp creamed coconut (buy some here)

2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

 

To do:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease a muffin tray with a little coconut oil
2. Sift the flours and powders into a mixing bowl to remove lumps (important for the banana flour)
3. Add remaining muffin dry ingredients and stir
4. In a separate bowl add the wet ingredients and whisk then pour into other bowl and stir until the mixture is well combined
5. Spoon into the muffin tray, to the top of each section (that’s a decent serving size, but you can make them smaller or larger if you wish)
6. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins, depending on your oven, until edges are brown and a skewer inserted in the middle to the bottom of one muffin comes out relatively dry
7. Turn onto a cooling rack and allow to cool down almost completely (a tad warm is fine)
8. For the icing add the creamed coconut, honey and lemon juice to the stick blender jug and use your stick blender on high speed to mix it thoroughly. Lift the stick blender up and down constantly and stop sometimes to scrap edges and to ensure all of the mixture is combined well. When it’s free from lumps it’s ready
9. Spread the icing on the cooled muffins, or use a piping tool to make a fancier appearance and texture
10. Then serve and gobble down! These muffins are best served fresh and with a slight warmness. If you do refrigerate these just take them out and let them sit on the bench for 30min – 1 hour before serving so they’re not too cold and firm. Enjoy!

Optional extras: if you do want to add nuts to this for crunch then walnuts and pecans would be nice. Also some natural organic sultanas/raisins would be a tasty and sweet addition.

Remember you can add more or less spices and honey depending on your taste, this recipe is not strict!

Note: the ingredient purchase links above are affiliate links, we only affiliate with products and companies we 100% trust and believe in.

Please let me know what you think 🙂

For a stack more green banana flour recipes pre-order the world’s first e-books using this amazing ingredient HERE !!

Cooking with Green Banana Flour

Cooking with Green Banana Flour

 

Aimee x

 

5 Things I’m Grateful For Today:

1. Using green banana flour to create really healthy and yummy dishes
2. The sun shining on this gorgeous Spring day
3. It’s the weekend tomorrow!
4. The country music song playing right now and Spotify
5. My little container garden doing really well right now

 

 

Recipe: Paleo Turkish Delight

Have you switched over to Paleo or generally cleaner eating and are missing certain ‘junk’ foods you used to eat regularly? Say, some particular chocolate bars? I sometimes do.

One of my old favourites was the Fry’s Turkish Delight! Or really good, authentic Turkish Delight pieces I’d find occasionally at cafe’s and foodie festivals/markets coated in sugar powder. <drool>

And would you agree a lot of Paleo/healthy swaps just don’t taste as good as the original version? I find it a lot; with breads and cakes, candy, all types of foods – often the taste or texture is off slightly, or even no where near. It’s not the end of the world of course, but it would be nice to get closer to the original version of some fave foods and memories.

Well.. I’m happy to announce my healthier version of Turkish Delight certainly comes very close to the Fry’s version I used to enjoy so much! Yay!

I’m giving you my recipe so you too can enjoy this yumminess, with both the way of coating it in chocolate (Paleo, or close to it, depending on what chocolate you use) like the Fry’s product, or in arrowroot (definitely Paleo) to replace the powdered sugar. Let me know what you think!

TURKISH DELIGHT

For the actual lolly you’ll need:

2 cups pomegranite juice (try to find one that’s organic or at least pure with nothing added)

2 tsbp rose water (check Asian stores and health food stores for this)

Raw honey to sweeten (quantity is up to you, with there being pomegranite juice in this recipe you may find you don’t wish to include honey at all)

4 tbsp pure grass-fed beef gelatin powder (grab some here)

The method:

1. Pour pomegranite juice into a saucepan on the stove withOUT turning the heat on
2. Gently sprinkle the gelatin powder over the surface of the juice, evenly
3. Let it sit for a couple of minutes so the gelatin granules absorb the liquid and soften, or “bloom”
4. Once softened turn the stove on to medium-high heat and use a whisk to stir until granules of gelatin have completely dissolved
5. Turn the heat off but while the liquid is still hot add honey if you’re using it, and rose water then stir to combine
6. Pour into a square or rectangle container, oven tray etc, something that’s flat and doesn’t have grooves or funny edges, so you can later on cut the set slice into squares or cubes. Or transfer liquid to a jug then pour into moulds. I used a long oven bread tin for mine which is non-stick and has flat sides and bottom, making it perfect for this type of recipe
7. Set in the fridge for a few hours until the mixture feels firm to touch
8. Gently remove from the mould/tray/container by pressing around the entire edge with your finger to seperate from the side of the container then turn upside down, hold close to your kitchen bench or chopping board then you should see the ‘jelly slice’ start to come out of the container. Watch it closely and guide it out as needed so it doesn’t break
9. Use a flat blade knife to cut to size (even-sized squares for example)

Now you have a basic Paleo Turkish Delight! Have a taste, do you get that nice, familar hit of rose water? It’s so good!

 

Here’s how you can create either a choc coated or powder coated version… 

Chocolate Coated

You’ll need:

1 block plain paleo/primal/healthy-as-possible chocolate (I used the new Coles brand 70% dark chocolate because it’s dairy and soy-free) melted

OR

Make your own chocolate using cacao butter, organic cocoa powder, raw honey to sweeten, pure vanilla and melted coconut oil

Method:

1. Let the chocolate mixture cool in a large container (large enough to get your hand into easily with some room to move around) but not to the point it’s becoming lumpy or re-setting then gently place Turkish Delight piece into the container to coat thinly with chocolate
2. Place each piece onto a sheet of baking paper that’s on a chilled board or flat plate of some kind that’s been in the fridge or freezer. This will help the underside of each piece set quicker and prevent you losing more chocolate coating than necessary on the baking paper!
3. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge (if it lasts that long!!)

This version may not be technically “Paleo” depending on the chocolate you use. Cane sugar isn’t classed as Paleo but I personally don’t mind consuming it occassionally. I’d rather use a chocolate that had coconut sugar though.

 

Powder Coated

You’ll need:

1/2 – 3/4 cup arrowroot powder

Optional: 1 tsp pure vanilla powder

Method:

1. Sprinkle half the arrowoot on a board or late plate
2. Gently place each piece of Turkish Delight on the board/plate then turn over. Use your fingers held out together and flat to pat each side to remove excess arrowroot leaving you with an even coating on each side. I find if you don’t try to pat the excess away and you coat each surface the taste overpowers the actual gummy; a thin layer on the top and bottom seems to be plenty
3. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge but keep in mind the moisture may absorb into the arrowroot, reducing it’s powdery-ness.

Now you have a version of Turkish Delight similar to that found in cafes and at markets with that classic and famililar powder coating!

You can probably store either in a container in the pantry, but keep in mind there is BEEF in there, it may not last long outside of the fridge before going ‘off’.

I hope you enjoy whichever version you make! Let me know how you go and what you think!

Oh and before I go, my message is never “you should eat strict Paleo all the time” because I certainly don’t! I believe we each need to find a happy balance with what we eat and how we live. So if you feel like having the ‘junk’ version of Turkish Delight.. then do it! Own it and enjoy it.

However, for those times you feel like a healthy option then now you have one 🙂

That’s all the wisdom I have for you for today..!

Aimee x

 

5 Things I’m Grateful for Today:

1. gelatin and how it helps me heal
2. getting sun today for over 30mins
3. a good catchup with Chris this morning
4. Eric Church songs
5. Spotting whales yesterday

Recipe: Paleo Meatballs & Veggies with Noodles 2-Ways

I don’t always consume nightshades because I have a bit of sensitivity to them, so I often enjoy creating variety with meals totally leaving out tomato, chilli, garlic, paprika.. basically all the good stuff lol and finding flavour without those common flavour options.

As most of you know, I also like to create meals that are quick, easy and super healthy. Sometimes my creative moments actually work out well and the other night was one of those occasions when I created a new meat and veg dish that got double thumbs up from Clint, woo! AND it made 4 meals worth in one go, bonus!

I decided to make meatballs, a non-tomato sauce and have some noodles… and I created Meatballs and Veggies with Noodles 2-Ways – delicious, super healthy, really easy to make, a total win!

Here’s the basic recipe I created but feel free to play around with it and make it work best for you and your family 🙂

MEATBALLS & VEGGIES WITH NOODLES 2-WAYS

Makes 4 serves

You’ll need:

500g mince (I used turkey, you could use chicken, lamb, beef etc)

1 cup pumpkin, peeled and diced

1/2 cup bone broth (grab our free e-book here if you don’t already know about bone broth)

1 large brown onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 large carrots (peel if not organic), finely chopped

Fat/oil for cooking in (I use rendered grass-fed animal fat, ghee or coconut oil)

2-4 tsp each of cumin powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder

Himalayan salt, pepper to taste

1 large zucchini, ‘zoodled’ using a noodle machine of some kind, or just peeled into long narrow strips

Optional: 1 packet konjac ‘Spaghetti’ noodles (available from supermarkets and health food stores) (I used these because Clint’s not a fan of a lot of zoodles, and these have great texture, more like ‘real’ noodles)

 

Do this:

1. Make small balls with the mince, by rolling around even amounts into balls in your hands
2. Heat a large fry pan to medium temp and add the fat/oil, carrot and onion. Place the meatballs in then put the lid on and allow to cook through
3. In a medium saucepan of boiling water add the pumpkin and allow to book completely through so when you pierce a piece with a knife it easily cuts through. Strain the water and place pumpkin in a food processor or blender
4. Add the spices, salt, pepper and bone broth to the pumpkin mix and blitz until totally combined and there are no more chunks. It won’t take long to become a sauce
5. Pour the sauce into the frypan with the veggies and meatballs, carefully stir, place the lid back on and allow to cook for a couple of minutes
6. Place noodles on plate or in a bowl ready then when the frypan mixture is ready (the sauce should be a little thicker, the meatballs are cooked through, the carrot and onion are soft) spoon it on top of the noodles
7. Done! Easy!

This made 4 serves so Clint had lunch ready for work the next day, it’s fine to have cold, and I had my dinner sorted for the next night. Yay!

Kids will love this  because pumpkin gives sweetness, noodles and meatballs are fun and it’s a bright coloured dish!

It’s so healthy because it’s jam-packed full of nourishing veggies, a little bit of meat, the bone broth contains gelatin and essential minerals, the turmeric is anti-inflammatory and the fat in there balances it all out nicely.

You could add some coconut amino (with or without chilli and garlic in it) to the sauce to give it a flavour boost. You could use different noodles. You can add different herbs and spices. This recipe is so versatile!

Enjoy! Please let me know how you go and how this idea helps you in the kitchen!

Aimee x

 

5 Things I’m Grateful For Today:

1. a fun day cooking with a friend
2. a really fun Primal Fitness Class yesterday
3. the Daniel Vitalis sleep podcast I listened to while writing this
4. going for nice walks at sunrise
5. walking barefoot everywhere and how good it feels

 

Recipe: Chocolate Orange Biscuits

Last night I was in the mood for making some recipe ideas for my green banana flour ebook, but unfortunately I’d run out of eggs and since all the recipes I wanted to attempt needed eggs… I was kind of bummed (cue sad violin music). I really felt like cooking something, so I decided to throw together a few things and ended up making a really yummy batch of choc orange biccies! And with so few ingredients… that’s a huge win in my books!!

I really felt like cooking something, so I decided to throw together a few things and ended up making a really yummy batch of choc orange biccies! And with so few ingredients… that’s a huge win in my books!!

I didn’t use eggs, I didn’t use nuts, and what I did use was really basic stuff, so it’s a no-brainer I share this new recipe with you all!

 

CHOCOLATE ORANGE BISCUITS

You’ll need:

2 tbsp chia seed meal (chia seeds ground down well in a good blender)

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

1/4 cup organic desiccated coconut

2 tbsp coconut oil (liquified)

2 tbsp pure organic cocoa powder

1/4 cup pure coconut milk (I use Ayam)

2 tbsp honey

Fresh orange zest, or dehydrated orange peel, or orange essential oil – to your liking

Optional: 2-3 tsp cacao nibs for crunch

Note: this made 10 small biscuits, double quantities to make larger batch

Do this:

1. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celcius and line a baking tray with baking paper
2. Add all ingredients (apart from cacao nibs) to the blender or food processor and blitz until well combined and there are no lumps left. I used my blender because I had pieces of dehydrated orange skin I wanted to break down and I wanted the desiccated coconut and chia meal to break down as much as possible. You could just add all ingredients to a bowl to mix together with a spoon, if not using dried out orange skin pieces, the result may not be the same but it’s up to you. The blender took very little time and did a good job, so I suggest using one for this.
3. If including cacao nibs add them into the mixture now and stir through so they stay whole and crunchy
4. Use a teaspoon to place big dollops of the gooey chocolate mixture onto the baking tray, about a tablespoon’s worth of batter for each biscuit
5. You can keep them quite close together, about 2cm apart as the mixture will only spread a little while cooking. To ensure they stay fluffy don’t press down the mixture with the back of your spoon, just dollop it onto the paper, maybe tidy up the edges a little so they’re all neat and round, then bake them as is
6. Place in the oven and bake for around 10-15 mins
7. They really don’t take long to cook and actually cool down quickly because they’re not dense at all. They’ll be ready to munch on in no time!

These are great for school lunchboxes and after-school play dates because there’s no nuts present. Yet they’re so soft and moist.. wow!

Keep in mind though that some people with digestion issues can find arrowroot and chia meal heavy on the gut, but what I like about this recipe is it uses so little of each of those ingredients and they go such a long way that if you or your little one only has a couple of these they’re pretty filling because of the good fats, and there’s little chance of then being left bloated. But always listen to your body, the same ingredients for one person (paleo or not) don’t necessarily work well for the next.

Enjoy 🙂

Aimee x

 5 Things I’m Grateful for Today:

1. Creating these yummy biccies last night!
2. The sun out today
3. Playing outdoors
4. Chocolate
5. Holding fun cooking demo’s and all the great people I meet through them

Recipe: Dreamy Creamy Triple Choc Chip Ice Blocks

It’s Summer, yay! And that, of course, means many hot days ahead, calling for cold food and drinks to cool us down.

So I have the perfect recipe for just that! And it’s a little decadent but super healthy at the same time… My Dreamy Creamy Triple Choc Chip Ice Blocks!

Sound good? Look good? Want to make them? Then here’s the recipe so you can do just that!

DREAMY CREAMY TRIPLE CHOC CHIP ICE BLOCKS

You’ll need these:

Ice blocks:

1.25 cups pure coconut milk

1/2 cup organic pure cocoa powder

1 cup organic banana, roughly chopped

1-2 tbsp raw honey

1 tbsp cacao nibs (plus extra for garnish)

Choc drizzle:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp cacao butter

1 tbsp organic pure cocoa powder

1/2 tsp pure vanilla (powder, paste or beans)

2 tsp raw honey

(grab some of the ingredients for less than RRP in the Primal Pantry!)

Now do this:

Ice blocks:

1. Place all ingredients, apart from the cacao nibs, into a blender and blitz until you have a smooth consistency and there are no chunks of banana remaining
2. Stir in the cacao nibs
3. Pour mixture into ice block moulds (purchase from op shops, supermarkets, homewares stores etc)
4. Place in the fridge to set for a few hours

Choc drizzle:

1. Using the double boiler method melt the ingredients so there are no lumps of cacao butter remaining. The water can be simmering but doesn’t need to be at too high a temperature.
2. Once melted, remove from stove and allow mixture to cool down a little
3. Once the mixture has cooled down but is still runny, pour into zip-lock bag (cut the smallest of holes in one corner to make into a piping bag) or a proper piping bag
4. Place a large flat plate in the freezer
5. When the ice blocks have completely set remove them from their moulds and lie them down on the cold plate from the freezer (to prevent the ice blocks melting quickly) then grab the choc drizzle bag and pipe over the ice blocks however you like. Across-ways back and forth is easy and looks great. Sprinkle some cacao nibs over for garnish. The chocolate will set pretty quickly then you can serve the ice blocks!

Easy as that! I hope you enjoy these rich, creamy, chocolatey, healthy, delicious goodies over Summer 🙂

I sure enjoyed eating those 3 after I took photos! I had to.. they were melting, it was the hottest day we’d had in ages and it was a matter of life and mess! lol

To learn more paleo-friendly healthy, yummy, easy, affordable recipes feel free to contact me to organise a Private Paleo Cooking Workshop, or stay tuned on Primal E-News for upcoming cooking demo’s!

Aimee x

 

5 Things I’m Grateful For:

1. Yummy healthy Ice blocks on a hot Summer day!
2. Spending time out by a creek in the country yesterday and Clint catching 2 fish
3. Our talk at Nebo Organics tonight
4. New skills activity I learnt from Clint yesterday during our play session
5. The salt lamp in this office helping relax me as I work and study