We had so much great food this week- and in true foodie fashion, we can’t wait to tell you all about it! Plus, why dates are our FAVORITE PALEO SWEETENER!
Can you even?! Paleo Deep-Dish Pizza using Otto’s Cassava Flour! So glad we put this one on the meal plan this week –> look for it next week in our meal planning post.
Last weekend the boys set up their own Chopped Jr competition (it’s a competitive cooking show on TV). They were given three secret ingredients: ready to eat wild salmon, black olives, and sea snax sheets, and had to make a dish from them. Then the whole family ate lunch and picked which dish was the winner. Even though Finn’s Salmon and Strawberry Salad lost to Cole’s Salmon Hand Rolls, we still enjoyed both of them! Follow us on Periscope to see future “episodes!”
The boys have really taken to cooking- and we love that it teaches them to follow directions, and allows them to be creative at the same time. Plus, we get cookies! Finn made the Chocolate Chip cookies from our kid’s cookbook, Eat Like a Dinosaur almost entirely by himself (and did a good job licking the spoon too!).
Finn got his cast off this weekend and is doing great! We celebrated his ability to use BOTH arms with lettuce-wrapped burgers at Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. I’m still thrilled that he only needed three weeks to heal and that his bones are “strong and healthy.” Thanks for all your well-wishes!
Our Favorite Paleo Sweetener: Dates
When we first started Paleo, making treats was all about: how can we make food taste good, using Paleo approved sweeteners like honey and maple to make the treats we were used to having. And we needed those things to transition.
Now that we’ve been at this for a while, our goal when creating new recipes is to still enjoy something that feels like a treat, but load it with the most nutrient-dense ingredients we can. And that’s why we love dates!
Medjool dates are wonderfully sweet, and since they are an unrefined fruit in its whole form they also have lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Lucky for us, they have a brown sugar, caramel-y taste that is perfect for treat-making! Plus, they are a little on the sticky-side, which helps to hold together your recipe.
Date Sugar
Date sugar is also a “whole-fruit” product- it’s simply dates that are dried and ground into a coarse powder. All of the nutrients and fiber are still there, but this date sugar is easier to use and can be subbed into recipes and measured like granular sugars.
Dates are so versatile, and are a great way to sweeten your favorite treats!
Our Favorite Fruit-Sweetened Recipes
Orange Coconut Date Truffles
N’Oatmeal Cookies
Butter Pecan Apples
Banana Bread Balls
Coconut Pecan Date Rolls
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