Fried Banana Brownie Cake with Honey Whipped Cream

It was my birthday on Saturday, and I had an amazing day.  I started the morning by opening the present Ben got for me, which was a Kitchen Aid stand mixer!  I've wanted one for years, and finally feel like I count as a real food blogger now that I own one.  I haven't used it yet because I have need to clear a special spot for it in the kitchen, but I've been peering into the box every few hours and just kind of smiling at it.  After opening my mixer, I met up with a friend to go for a run, and then went home and moved a bunch of furniture and hung pictures with Ben.  (Our landlords have been renovating our apartment, so we have a lot of rearranging to do.  One secret about me is that I love organizing things around the house, even though I put it off like crazy and almost never do it.  I am not at all sure why I dread it so much, because once I get started I really enjoy it.  So, oddly enough, moving furniture and hanging pictures was one of my favorite parts of the day.)

My mom, Ben, and I went to dbar for dinner, which is within walking distance of our apartment and is one of my favorite restaurants ever.  Pro tip: it starts gradually turning into a nightclub around 10 pm on Friday and Saturday.  I've never been able to convince anyone to stay with me for that phase, but we got to witness the beginning of the transformation last night: one of the waiters walked by, casually pushed a button on his bracelet, and made a screen drop from the ceiling.  No big deal.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins + Pure Indian Foods Grassfed Ghee

I had a snow day last Wednesday, and spent the morning making these banana chocolate chip muffins.  They're a worthy project for any morning, unexpected day off or not.  Here are some reasons to give these muffins a try: they're gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, and lactose-free, they're high in protein, they're sweetened mostly (or entirely) with fruit, and they're delicious.  Oh, and they have chocolate in them!

Baking with just coconut flour requires a lot of eggs, but the finished muffins don't taste eggy.  They're moist and bursting with chocolate chips, and they have a subtle banana flavor.  Unlike many muffins that are packed with sugar and low in protein, eating a couple of these makes for a pretty balanced breakfast in terms of protein, carbs, and healthy fats.  That means they'll keep you full for longer, but they still taste like treats.

Prepping a Week of Paleo Breakfasts (Whole30 Day 9)

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-Becky

Looking for something to bring to a cookout?  Check out these 10 Paleo Recipes for Summertime Celebrations.

Guys, I am going back to school next week!  Part of the reason I picked January for my Whole30 is that I knew having the first two weeks of the month off would help me get myself on track with my new eating plan before having the stress of school, work, and clinic added on.  Everything has been going smoothly so far, but it's about to get a lot harder.

The key to sticking with the Whole30 throughout a busy work week is planning and preparation.  This weekend I'm planning to make big batches of a few different meals so I can bring leftovers to school for lunch, and even eat leftovers some nights for dinner if I'm too tired to cook.  However, even though I occasionally enjoy a good dinner for breakfast, most mornings I want something a little more traditional.

So, today I'm sharing my plan for prepping a week of paleo breakfasts.  These ideas are perfect if you're doing a Whole30, but are also just great if you have a goal to start each day with a healthy breakfast.  Most of these ideas do require you to get up and cook, but it should only take about 10 minutes, and for a nutritious & tasty breakfast, it's worth it.

Banana Pecan Pancakes

More pancakes!  In case you missed it, I've already made three kinds: pancakes with blueberry compote, strawberry banana pancakes, and blueberry pancakes with a secret ingredient.  So, there's been no shortage of pancakes around here--but you can never have too many pancakes, right?

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I have been on a quest to make delicious paleo & gluten-free muffins, because I can't have eggs for breakfast every single day.  This is the third time I've tried, and I finally have what I want: a moist, sweet muffin with a beautiful domed top that is bursting with blueberries in every bite.  Best of all, these muffins taste like the real thing, not a gluten-free imitation.

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

The almond flour pancakes I made a few days ago were so good that I was eager to try another version of paleo pancakes.  This time, I was inspired by a cinnamon banana pancake recipe in Easy Paleo Diet Recipes, and added a twist to make them even better.

Do you have a favorite diner?  Mine is the Maugus, which is just down the street from my mom's apartment in my hometown.  It's run by a big Greek family, and the hardest part of being a regular there is when they close for three weeks every summer to go to Greece.  They are closed right now and I have to tell you, it has been rough.  One of my favorite things to get there is pancakes--their pancakes are HUGE!  I'm a big fan of both the strawberry and the banana pancakes.  They have nice rounds of freshly sliced fruit cooked right in.  They will even make you pancakes with both strawberries AND bananas if you can't decide.  And, if you are not into fruity pancakes (who are you and why are you still reading?) you can get chocolate chip pancakes or cinnamon walnut french toast.

Anyway, inspired by the Maugus, I put sliced strawberries into these banana pancakes.  The banana is mashed up with the batter so the pancakes do not have a strong banana flavor, but they are pleasantly reminiscent of banana bread.  And if you have never tried sliced strawberries in your pancakes, you HAVE to.  They are cooked just to the point of being fabulously juicy, and it is much more exciting than just putting sliced strawberries on top of your pancakes.  Trust me.

Since I am doing the Whole 30 for real now, I omitted the honey from the original recipe.  However, with the bananas and the strawberries, I thought these pancakes were sweet enough.  I ate mine with the extra banana and strawberry slices on top and a little butter, and my boyfriend enjoyed his with some syrup.

Ingredients (serves 2; makes 6-7 pancakes):

1 and 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup mashed banana (about half a medium banana--slice the rest to serve with the pancakes)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut milk
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, thinly sliced, plus extra for serving
Butter or coconut oil for cooking

Combine all the ingredients except the strawberries in a food processor and process until smooth.  Heat some oil or butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat.  When the skillet is hot (a drop of water will dance across the surface), add about 1/4 cup of batter.  Place some strawberry slices on top.  Cook until many bubbles have formed on the surface (the bottom should be browned).  Carefully slide a large spatula under the pancake and flip it quickly.  If you flip these pancakes too soon or use a small spatula, you may lose some of your strawberries during the turn.  Cook for a minute or less on the second side, until browned and cooked through.  Add more oil or butter before cooking a second pancake.  Top with fresh fruit and butter if desired and serve hot.

Dirty Banana and More Jamaican Stories

Have I ever mentioned how much I love alligators and crocodiles?  Well, I love them a lot.  I've seen alligators in Houston's bayous and on Louisiana swamp tours.  Once I even got to hold a baby alligator at a reptile-themed birthday party.  Yesterday, I got to see crocodiles for the first time in the Black River's Great Morass!  So much fun.  We went on an hour-long boat tour and saw at least six different crocodiles.  The guides know each of the crocodiles by name--they are very territorial and are always seen in the same spots.  This big guy is named Terrorist.  Yikes!

After the tour, we got to see some more approachable crocs in the crocodile nursery.  But, even that little guy looks like he could give quite a bite.

Here's what the Great Morass looks like.  All those dangly branches that look like vines are a special kind of root that mangroves send down to help them get more nutrients out of the brackish water.

Next up was the Appleton Estate Rum Tour.  The best part was when they opened up the bar after the tour--we got to serve ourselves shots of as many different kinds of rum as we wanted.  My favorite was the rum cream, which is featured in my new favorite Jamaican cocktail (see recipe below).  It's like a better version of Bailey's.  I also liked the Berry Hill Pimento Allspice liqueur, which has a pleasant double burn from the alcohol and spice.

I bought an adorable mini-bundt rum cake at the Appleton gift shop, which was a deliciously buttery, rum-soaked cake.  My mom has a mini bundt pan, so I am totally planning on making my own version when I get home.  Maybe with a glaze involving rum cream?  I love that stuff.

Caves at Xtabi

So, yesterday was jam-packed with tours, and today we decided to just take it easy by the cliffs.  We walked about 15 minutes down the road from our hotel to Xtabi, a resort that we'd heard serves great breakfast.  We could smell delicious baked goods even before we rounded the corner and saw the place.  Right away, we knew we just wanted to spend the entire day there.  The tables for the restaurant are in a large round gazebo and porch perched on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.  Two sets of stairs lead down to the lagoon, where you can swim or catch a ride on a glass-bottom boat.  Another set of stairs lead to the caves, where stone benches invite you to sit and relax in the dark coolness by the grotto.  I, however, left in a bit of a hurry after a couple of bats zoomed by uncomfortably close to my head.

Turns out the food is just as fabulous as the surroundings.  I ordered the bread basket (hello, carbs do not count when you're on vacation).  It came with a corn muffin, banana bread, and a cinnamon roll, all split open, buttered, and grilled to crispy perfection.  Ben ordered an ackee and callaloo omelette, which featured ackee from the tree right outside.  It was also delicious, but I did not get a chance to snap a picture before he started eating (I guess it's kind of annoying if someone is always trying to photograph your food from a few different angles before you can even get a bite in).

We lounged by the cliffs all morning, watching small rainstorms come and go.  When it got to be a respectable hour (ahem, 11:30 am), we ordered drinks.  I got one called a Dirty Banana--I was sold by the name and the fact that it had rum cream in it.  This is my new favorite cocktail!  I'm sharing a recipe here based on the ingredients Xtabi uses, so you can try it right away.  You might have to tweak some of the quantities to get it just how you like it.  Let me know what you think!

Recipe (serves one):

2 ounces Tia Maria
2 ounces rum cream or Bailey's
1 banana
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
Chocolate syrup

Drizzle chocolate syrup all over the inside of a tall, frosted glass.  Blend the remaining ingredients until smooth.  Serve in the chocolaty glass.  If you want it extra boozy, top with another splash of Tia Maria.  Enjoy!