Cookies n Cream Pecan Protein Balls

First I put 2/3 cup pecans halves on a small baking sheet and spread them out evenly. I roasted them in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes. This releases their flavor! When they were cooled I broke them up into smaller pieces. (You could just buy the pecan pieces and roast them.)

I put the following ingredients into a mixing bowl::

1 cup Cookies and Cream protein powder  ( Muscle Pharm, Optimum Nutrition, Myofusion - many brands have this flavor. If you want it to try it with your favorite protein, just use vanilla and crumble up a couple of Oreos in the mixture.....)
2/3 cup roasted pecan pieces
1/2 cup coconut oil, NOT melted
2 TBSP raw honey (You may find that 1 TBSP is enough for you)
2 TBSP organic peanut butter (or toasted pecan butter or raw almond butter)
1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes ( the chunky coconut chips from nuts.com is the best!) 
4 TBSP coconut milk, as needed, maybe more.

I stirred them up with a wooden spoon until a dough-like look appears. It takes a little stirring, and kind of happens all at once but you want to make sure you've mixed the ingredients well. You may need a bit more coconut milk, or if it's too thin, you could add some more protein powder. 

I scooped them out on a parchment covered baking pan with a cookie scoop and popped them into the freezer for 1/2 an hour. Then I put each protein ball into a snack bag and put them back into the freezer so we could just grab them when we needed them.

These are in the Kill Cliff fridge at Crossfit Countdown right now (put $ in envelope that's with them).

                                                Beautiful ingredients make beautiful food. 

Paleo Apple Date Cake

This is a moist and delicious slice of fall! I made this up yesterday and it's almost gone this morning! I started out thinking I wanted to do an apple cookie, so I guess I'll still play around with that one day soon. Kim was my inspiration for this because she picked apples and brought some to me - they were not perfect, flat-tasting grocery-store apples - and they deserved to be high-lighted in a recipe.

So, I wanted extreme gooey-ness. Here is how I achieved that.

I put these ingredients into a saucepan:
1 1/2 cups apple, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup water
I put this on the stove and got it boiling. I let it boil for 5 minutes.
I poured this concoction into a large mixing bowl. (don't pour off the water)

I immediately added 2/3 cup coconut oil and stirred to melt the coconut oil. See? Gooey.

In my 2-cup measuring cup I cracked 3 organic eggs and beat them a bit with a fork. I added:
2 TBSP honey (or maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla
I mixed this and poured it into the mixing bowl and gave it a stir.

I washed and dried my 2-cup measure. (the other one was in the dishwasher)
I put 1 1/2 cups almond flour in there. I added:
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda and gave that a stir.
I folded this dry mixture into the big mixing bowl. I did it gently. I didn't need to beat it to death here.

The last thing I did was fold in 2/3 cup chopped pecans.
I put this into a 9 x 9 square dish that had been rubbed with coconut oil.
It cooked for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
LOVE