Strawberry- Nectarine Sorbet

 

Dairy-free, refined sugar-free, Paleo friendly

  

There are countless reasons to love summer.  Warm days, long nights, beach trips, and camp outs.  As a real food lover, I look forward to summer all year long, knowing that I will be able to enjoy the bounty of fresh fruit this season has to offer. Peaches, watermelon, cantaloupe, and cherries, they are all ripe for the picking in these hot, sultry months.

Although I am a long way off from my dream of growing all our own fruits and veggies, I am fortunate to have a nectarine tree in our backyard.  Ever since I noticed the teeny, tiny, fuzzy fruit starting to grow I had stalked that tree, impatiently waiting to sink my teeth into that first sweet, juicy bite.  Everyday my boys and I would go out in the yard and give those guys a good feel.  The wait seemed excruciatingly long, those beauties retaining their firmness, not yet willing to succumb to the ravenous mouths of babes.  After what seemed like an eternity, we went out into the yard one morning, ready to dole out our customary squeeze and that's when the magic happened.  My finger sank ever so gently into the flesh of the fruit, leaving a shallow indentation.  I knew our wait was over.  The boys and I enjoyed an afternoon of picking fruit and then we got to reap the rewards of our efforts.  Like most organically grown fruit, these nectarines were small, a far cry from the enormous ones that fill the bins at the supermarket.  But the taste, oh the sweet, sweet taste.  These little gems were so fragrant, the whole kitchen smelled of this gorgeous stone fruit.  Between the boys and I, we must have polished off at least 15 of those puppies that day.

After our bellies were full and I had cleaned all the sticky remnants off my monsters, I looked at our impressive harvest and realized we had way more nectarines than we could ever eat.   I racked my brain trying to figure out how in the world I was going to use this much fruit. I knew some would go directly into my dehydrator to transform into dried nectarines.  But this was more than my dehydrator could handle.  I needed another option.  There was always nectarine salsa, but I'm not a big fan and besides, there was no way my family would ever be able to consume that much salsa.  Did I mention yet we had a lot of fruit?  Enough to fill six or seven fruit baskets and this was just our first harvest.  Our tree still had plenty of fruit to bear, enough to provide us weeks of stone fruit goodness.

 

As I said before, summer is a glorious season.  While it's probably safe to say that most people adore summer, no one enjoys it more than little ones.  It truly is the season of childhood, a time where dreams are big, worries small, and the only time that three short months can feel like a lifetime.  And there is nothing kids love more on a hot summer day than a cool, refreshing treat.  Ah yes, nectarine sorbet.  That was the answer to my seemingly endless pile of fruit. 

Only one problem, I hadn't attempted to make sorbet since my family and I adopted the Paleo lifestyle almost two years ago.  It suddenly dawned on me, I had made a ton of Paleo friendly popsicles and ice creams, but never a sorbet without refined sugar.  Let me assure you now, the result was nothing short of delicious.  The honey and strawberries add just the right amount of sweetness, and the hint of tartness from the fresh lemon rounds the flavors out beautifully.   I also added coconut milk for its nourishing, creamy fats and to prevent the sorbet from getting too icy.  This sorbet is as delectable as it is refreshing.  Perfect for a summer day.  Enjoy!

Strawberry-Nectarine Sorbet

2 cups ripe nectarines, chopped
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup raw honey (depending on sweet you like it.  I used 1/4 c and it was the perfect balance of sweet and sour for us!)
1/4 c full fat coconut milk

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor.  Start with 1/4 c of honey and add more if desired.  Blend until smooth.  You can either run the mixture through a sieve if you prefer a super smooth sorbet, or just pour straight into an ice cream maker like I did.  Process according to manufacturer's directions, mine took about 20 minutes. Transfer soft sorbet into freezer safe containers and freeze until firm.

Variations:

To make this recipe without an ice cream maker, pour mixture into glass or metal container and place in freezer.  As the mixture begins to freeze, run a fork through it to break up the ice crystals.  Repeat this process several times over the course of a few hours.

You can also pour mixture into popsicle molds.

You can use peaches in place of the nectarines, and feel free to play around with the berries as well.  Raspberries would be delicious, but more honey might be required since they are not quite as sweet as strawberries. 






  

Green-Choco-Avo-Nana Smoothie

Green-Choco-Avo-Nana smoothie?  Whew.  That is a mouthful.  Even more impressive than the amount of words I put in the title of this smoothie, are the amount of nutrients it has.  We make a lot of green smoothies in this house.  I am fortunate that my kids don't have trouble eating their veggies, but there are a few that they shy away from, and leafy greens are one of them.  They will gobble up anything in the cruciferious family, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and they've never met an orange veggie they didn't like, but leafy greens just aren't their favorites.  Which is bad news for mom because I know how many protective compounds leafy greens possess that simply aren't found in other veggies.  This is why we incorporate green smoothies into our mornings. 

Since the kids have smoothies on a regular basis, I am always on the hunt for new combinations to try.  I like to switch up the greens, anything from spinach to beet greens and everything in between.  Sometimes we add a tropical twist with fruits like pineapple and kiwi, other times a berry mix gets thrown in.  This morning, I served up one of their favorite variations: green chocolate smoothie.

Now I know what you're thinking, "chocolate, greens, and avocado?"  It doesn't sound the least bit appetizing.  It is however, quite the contrary.  The taste and texture honestly mimic chocolate pudding.  The avocado gives this smoothie an unbeatable creaminess and adds a good dose of healthy fats, all without altering the flavor.  The greens (depending on which ones you choose) don't affect the taste much and give this smoothie a powerful nutrient punch.  The cocoa, banana, and honey?  Well, I think that's pretty self explanatory...  they make this drink delicious.

Green-Choco-Avo-Nana Smoothie

1 banana, frozen
1/2 ripe avocado
2-3 T cocoa powder (depending on how chocolate-y you like it)
2 T honey
1 t vanilla
1/4 c raw milk or more depending how thick you like your smoothies
handful of greens* (I used an organic baby spinach, chard, and kale mix)

Place all ingredients into Vitamix and turn that baby on!  Pour yourself a glass of that chocolate-y goodness and enjoy.  Chocolate for breakfast, minus the guilt...  count me in!

Variations & Substitutions:

- to make a dairy free version, omit raw milk and substitute full fat canned coconut milk or almond milk (you can also use a vanilla almond milk, but omit vanilla extract if using this).

- instead of honey, use maple syrup or dates.

- if your banana isn't frozen, no need to fret, just add ice and increase liquid.

-feel free to play around with additional ingredients like, chia seeds, flax meal, or cinnamon.

- to make 21 DSD compliant, omit honey and use a green tipped banana.


*Spinach is the mildest tasting green, and therefore the easiest to mask.  If using any other greens, it will affect the flavor a tad but nothing to be afraid of.  Always use baby greens however, as they blend up effortlessly.

Tropical Coconut Milk Pops

Ahh, the dog days of summer.  It was a comfortable 103 degrees here today.  A perfect day to kick up your heels and relax outside.  Ideal.  Exceptional.  Idyllic even.  Sarcasm, along with 20 pounds of sweat are literally dripping from me as we speak.  Honestly, who in their right mind enjoys temperatures above 90 degrees?  Not this lady,  that's for sure.  There is nothing to do when it's this hot except play in the water and try and keep cool.  Sweltering temperatures and mid-day munchies DO NOT make for happy kids, so I knew I needed to restock my supply of cold treats in the freezer A.S.A.P.  We make a ton of popsicles in these warm summer months and these here are one of my favorites.  The kids think it's special to get a popsicle for a snack, and I'm content knowing they are enjoying a wholesome, nourishing meal devoid of all the junk found in store bought treats.

These tropical popsicles are honest to goodness real food.  They only have three ingredients, real fruit, and nourishing healthy fats.  Doesn't get much easier or more nutritious than that.  You can customize the fruit as you please, we've done a strawberry/banana combo that was equally delicious.  The coconut milk adds that subtle taste of the tropics and a creamy mouth feel.  The banana and mango compliment each other beautifully and when mixed with the coconut milk, you are transported to a tropical paradise where days are long, worries small, and the weather always pleasant.  Or at least that's where I imagine wish I was right now.  Until that becomes a reality, I will enjoy one of these pops and try in vain to keep the heat from ruining my mood and my good hair day....

Tropical Coconut Milk Popsicles

1 can full fat coconut milk

1 yellow banana

1 ripe mango

Open coconut milk and peel banana.  Complicated stuff, I realize.  Cut around the long, flat mango seed and remove the flesh.  Put coconut milk, banana, and mango into a food processor or blender.  Squeeze out any mango juice remaining around the seed as well and add to rest of ingredients.  Blend until combined.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until set. 



Paleo Banana Pancakes

 

Grain/Gluten/Sugar/Dairy free

 

                                                                                                                
Let's face it, mornings are hectic.  Rushed.  Downright crazy.  It can be difficult impossible to get a nutritious, home cooked breakfast on the table all while trying to wrestle the kids into their clothes and hurry them out the door to school.  And who really wants to prepare a breakfast that requires dirtying a bunch of dishes or takes a lot of time to prepare on these frenzied mornings anyways?  Enter these grain free banana pancakes to save the day.  These might be the easiest, quickest pancakes ever in the history of pancakes.

I love these not only for the ease of preparation, but also for their nutritional content.  They are gluten/grain/dairy/sugar free, and Paleo approved.  I can polish off a plate of these puppies and not have the slightest "heavy" feeling that is usually associated with stuffing oneself with pancakes. These pancakes are delicious, surprisingly fluffy, and you only have to dirty one bowl to make them.  If you're new to Paleo, or grain free cooking, you may think it's impossible to recreate the pancake without using traditional flour.  In all fairness, I must confess I haven't had a "regular" pancake in over 18 months so it's hard for me to compare these to conventional ones.   I will however put my neck on the line and claim that they rival traditional pancakes in both flavor and texture.  My boys, ages 5 and 1, both devour these and that's validation enough for me!

Enough chatter, gather your ingredients and whip up a batch of these beauties!

Paleo Banana Pancakes

1 ripe banana
2 pastured eggs
2-5 Tbsp coconut flour*
1 t vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
optional: pinch cinnamon (I always add this, we love cinnamon in this house!)
coconut oil, ghee, or grass fed butter

Mash banana in medium bowl.  Add eggs, vanilla, baking soda and cinnamon if adding.  Whisk until combined.  Add coconut flour, starting with 2 T.  Let batter sit for a few minutes, and if the thickness isn't to your liking, add additional tablespoons of coconut flour. 

Heat griddle pan over low heat with coconut oil, ghee, or grass fed butter. Pour batter onto hot pan using a scant 1/4 measuring cup.  Grain free pancakes can be difficult to flip, making them dollar size ensures that you can flip them without destroying them!

*Coconut flour absorbs a great deal of moisture, so it is always necessary to let the batter sit for a few minutes, say 3-5, to determine if you need to add more to reach desired thickness.  I usually end up adding anywhere from 3-5 Tbsp in mine!

Serve with more grass fed butter and any other accompaniments you see fit.  We love raw honey, maple syrup, or fresh strawberries.