Cosmic Rhino

The amazing Melissa brings us another spectacular recipe. Maria also made it muffin-style, which Julia shared with us post workout earlier this week. I promise you will not be sad with this bread.

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• 1 cup arrowroot powder
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 4 rotten bananas

Stir In Optional Ingredients

I have to say that in addition to remarkable weight loss and performance improvements, the July paleo nutrition challenge at CrossFit Long Beach also brought some amazing recipes to light. Melissa made yet another amazing snack for us - pumpkin bread! She said it was very easy to make and I can vouch for its tastiness.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons butter

Here’s another one from Mei who brought these into the gym last night. The lucky ones who got to try them (me) went crazy over them. Ryan said they were like a macaroon so I’m going with that name. (Jill, the kids will love these!)

Ingredients

• 3 cups unsweetened dried coconut (or you can use unsweetened coconut chips for more texture)
• 1 1/2 cups raw macadamia nuts (or toasted, if desired)
• 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
• 8 medjool dates (if dates are dry, you might need to add more. See Instructions)
• pinch of sea salt

These gluten-free, sugar-free snack bars are a CrossFit Long Beach favorite. This is a simplified version of recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple.

Ingredients

• 1 cup toasted slivered almonds (at TJs)
• 1 cup toasted, salted pecans (at TJs)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (Whole Foods or health food store)
• 1/2 cup almond butter (at TJs)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (Whole Foods or health food store)
• 1/2 cup almond flour/ meal (at TJs)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup dried unsweetened blueberries (at TJs)

Instructions

I’ve been working on a quick version of this Cosmic Rhino recipe and finally figured out the right formula. This version has no cream and uses Trader Joe’s frozen vegetables so no chopping required. I’ve been making this on Sunday so that we have breakfasts or lunches for the next couple of days already made.

Ingredients:

• 2 bags of TJs frozen spinach - I used the 10oz pesticide-free bag
• 1 bag of TJs frozed roasted bell peppers (red,  yellow, green) and onions.
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

My sisters and I made this for breakfast this morning and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to get anyone to eat a boatload of spinach. It’s like a quiche except that it has no crust and has more spinach than a typical quiche.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for dish
• 6 shallots, thinly sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• 4 10 oz packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 cups (8 oz) grated gruyere (or jarlsberg)

For a long time now, I’ve been meaning to experiment with making granola. I used this recipe from Martha Stewart’s website, but slightly modified it based on ingredients I had in the kitchen. Voila! It was that easy and beats any store-bought version I’ve tried. Here’s the recipe for about 6 cups:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey

I have but perhaps one claim to fame and that is my friendship with Floyd, the founder of Big Orange Landmarks (a sweet website dedicated to discovering the historical landmarks of Los Angeles, one by one).

Recently, Floyd got braces and eating solid food has been a struggle, so this smoothie recipe is dedicated to him. May you not go hungry, Floyd!

Ingredients:

• 2 large carrots, washed and chopped into 1″ chunks (for ease of blending) or about 12 baby carrots
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks

CR Mom wants another smoothie recipe and I must oblige. She’s me mum, after all.

This berry smoothie is a great way to get veggies, especially if the recipients (kids, boyfriends, husbands, little sisters, etc.) do not like veggies. Blueberries, flax seed, kale…you can’t ask for  more super-foods in a smoothie! It tastes good, too.

Ingredients:

• 1 large carrot
• 2-3 leaves of kale (lacinato version shown above). Can also use chard, or even a few heads of broccoli.
• 1 cup cold water or orange juice (OJ works best when you’re trying to mask the flavor, but it does add calories)