Grainless Pumpkin Muffins

This muffin recipe is terrific for the holidays.  Bake them for your party guests or wrap them up for a nice holiday gift.  Make sure you include the recipe because people will not believe that it has no sugar or flour!  This is a definite “kid approved” recipe as well which makes them a nice addition to a lunchbox.  The key is the spice mixture – it makes it taste just like pumpkin pie.

Advanced Plan – Makes about 8 large muffins or 16 small muffins


1/2 can pure pumpkin puree (7.5 ounces) – no sugar
2 organic eggs
1/4 teaspoon pure stevia extract (the pure steviosices/concentrated kind) or to taste – you can also use spoonable stevia or liquid stevia but you will need more.
4 tablespoons organic butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

CORE PLAN OPTION:  handful or two of raisins or chopped dates

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line a muffin pan with non-bleached paper liners or silicone muffin cups.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT almond four and walnuts with a hand mixer until well mixed.  Stir in the almond flour and walnuts until incorporated.  Batter will be very thick.  Spoon batter into muffin cups and try to smooth the tops as much as possible.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Simple, Budget Friendly 7-Day Meal Plan & Grocery List

by:  Melissa Sell & Kimberly Roberto

Shopping for healthy food on a budget can seem intimidating but there are ways to make it work.  Most healthy meals just require a few simple ingredients and take a very short time to make.  This 7 day meal plan is based on 1-2 people so adjust the amounts accordingly to feed more people.

All of the items are Advanced & Core Plan Approved
Grocery List

  • 1 pound antibiotic free ground turkey  ($4.99 Whole Foods)
  • 1 pound grass fed beef ($6ish)
  • 2 pounds organic chicken ($8-12)
  • 2 dozen eggs (hormone/antibiotic free- $3.99)
  • 1 cans black beans ($2)
  • 1 bag coconut flakes ($3ish)
  • 2 cans coconut milk ($4)
  • 1 box organic butter ($5ish)
  • 1 jar almond butter ($4.99)
  • 1 head org. kale ($2.49)
  • 1 bag org spinach ($3ish)
  • 1 can organic diced tomatoes ($2ish)
  • 2 org. Granny smith apples
  • 1 cucumber
  • Org. red pepper, org green pepper
  • 1 avocado
  •  Head of broccoli
  • 1 large onion
  • ½ lb deli turkey ($3ish)
  • Fresh strawberries ($3ish)
  • Romaine Lettuce ($2ish)
  • Small bag walnuts ($3ish)
  • Small bag cashews ($2ish)
  • 1 container hummus ($3ish)
  • 1 can organic crushed tomatoes ($2ish)
  • 1 quart organic chicken broth($3ish)

*hard to estimate price of some produce
Total= $60ish
Try to buy 1 item you can get a lot of uses out of per week (so it doesn’t get too expensive in one grocery store visit)
Ex: one week buy butter, the next olive oil, the next coconut oil
This way you can stock up and not need to buy them for a while after your first get them

7 Day – Meal Plan

Monday
Breakfast – 2 eggs scrambled in butter over a bed of spinach
Snack – Handful of cashews or coconut flakes
Lunch – Salad- kale, ½  cucumber, red pepper, black beans, olive oil, balsamic or apple cider vinegar
Dinner – Turkey burger w/ steamed broccoli
Use half of your turkey, mix in desired spices (curry and cumin are really good) and create 2 patties- cook in butter or coconut oil
Steam broccoli for 3 minutes

Tuesday
Breakfast – Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, spinach, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
Snack – Granny Smith Apple with almond butter
Lunch – Leftover turkey burger with a salad
Dinner – Chicken with black beans and onions
Chop 1/3 of your onion and cook in down in butter, cook chicken (chop into chunks for quicker cooking) in same pan, heat black beans (you can add spices.  Eat with kale or spinach

Wednesday
Breakfast – 2 eggs scrambled and cooked in butter over a bed of spinach.  Add onions cooked in butter or avocado to the top of eggs for some variety
Snack – Handful of coconut flakes
Lunch – Left over chicken with salad
Dinner – Tex Mex over kale with avocado
Put grass fed beef and the rest of the ground turkey in pan and cook through. Chop 1/3 onion, ½ green pepper, 1 clove garlic- sauté in butter for 3-5 minutes. Drain meat if necessary- add meat to veggies- add 1 can drained black beans and ½- 1 can tomatoes (depends how much liquid you want in there). Season with cumin and paprika.

Thursday
Breakfast – Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
Snack – Apple with almond butter
Lunch – Left over Tex Mex with kale
Dinner – Curry Chicken – Cut up chicken and cook in butter. Add in chopped up onions, peppers and broccoli. Add in ½-1 can coconut milk and add spices (red curry or yellow curry)

Friday
Breakfast – Smoothie- 1 spoonful almond butter, handful frozen berries, coconut milk- add as much until you like the consistency
Snack – Handful of coconut flakes
Lunch – Salad with left over curry chicken
Dinner – 2 eggs scrambled in butter over a bed of spinach.  Add onions cooked in butter or avocado to the top of eggs for some variety

Saturday
Breakfast – 2 spoonfuls almond butter w/ sliced strawberries, coconut milk poured over and sprinkled with stevia
Snack – Hard boiled egg
Lunch – Berry Salad – Romaine with chopped strawberries, walnuts, deli turkey (roll and then slice), poppy seeds (optional), olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Dinner – Quiche – chop deli turkey and any veggies you like.  Whip 6-8 eggs, add sea salt and pepper and veggies.  Butter a round baking dish, pour egg mixture in and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Sunday
Breakfast – Veggie Omelet – scramble eggs but don’t stir.  Let set underneath and carefully flip over.  Fill with desired filling and fold the egg over and slide on to a plate
Snack – Hummus with slices veggies
Lunch – Leftover Quiche and/or Lettuce wrap – spread hummus on lettuce leaves with turkey slices and any other desired toppings
Dinner – Beef Veggie Soup.- brown the remaining ½ lb ground beef.  Add salt (about 1 tsp), pepper, and ½ tsp chili powder.  Pour in undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, and any veggies you want.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Homemade Enchiladas

I had an idea to make the kids beef enchiladas today but know I’d be in trouble if I went to get enchilada sauce because they would contain sugar, damaged fats, or additives.  So, I decided to just make my own.  To my surprise, with just a few ingredients, I had what I thought was a good sauce for my enchiladas.  It was a family hit for sure.  (you’ll notice that my picture is only of half of the tray because the first half disappeared before I could get a shot)

CORE PLAN
Serves 4-6

Enchilada Sauce:

2 tablespoons avocado oil
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 cups organic chicken stock
6 ounces organic tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

In a medium saucepan heat oiland chili powder for about 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes. Adjust the seasonings as desired.

Enchiladas:

2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 (7 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup organic (sugar free) salsa or 2 tablespoons tomato paste + 2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup chopped black olives, drained and divided
2 cups organic shredded Cheddar cheese
1 package sprouted grain tortillas

Optional Toppings:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 avocado, chopped.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Spread a thin layer of the enchilada sauce into a 13×9 baking dish
In a skillet over medium heat, saute ground beef, onions, garlic, salt, cumin, olives, and green chile peppers.   Continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Pour in the salsa or tomato sauce and chili powder. Mix thoroughly and heat through.
Spoon a little of the meat mixture into a sprouted grain tortilla.  Roll the tortilla up and place in the prepared casserole dish (seam down). Repeat for the remaining tortillas using up all of the meat mixture.   You may have some left which you can save for a taco salad
Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining olives and top with cheese .
Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until hot and bubbly.
Top with organic sour cream, green onions, and chopped avocado.

Dark Chocolate Trifle

Serves: 4    Advanced and Core Plan Approved

This recipe is an amazingly decadent, sweet-tooth satisfying dessert with a beautiful presentation.  It has the added benefit of healthy ingredients like cocoa, coconut oil, and almonds.

Dark Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp stevia (pure steviosides)
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
scant 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
scant cup coconut water

Mix all ingredients and put into a 8″square or 8″ round baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool

Vanilla Cream

1 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp stevia (pure steviosides)
6 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything in a bowl (a hand mixer works best)

To assemble trifle:

Cut cake into small squares, add dolops of vanilla cream and sliced strawberries.  Best presentation in a glass.

**NOTE:  stevia amounts may need to be adjusted if using spoonable or liquid stevia.  The amounts shown are using pure stevia extract.