Cosmic Rhino

Jill recently discovered a cool website, Fitday.com, on Mark’s Daily Apple. Fitday allows you to plug in tons of food and it will give you the nutritional breakdown including protein, fat, carbohydrates, etc. The timing was perfect because I had a friend who, for medical reasons, needed to keep her carbohydrate intake below 15grams per meal. I ended up running my previous macaroon recipe through the Fitday calculator and realized, much to my surprise, how high in sugar dates were. I knew they had some, but they had loads more than honey. So, I ended re-doing this recipe with honey, more coconut oil, and a couple other tweaks and I like it even more. So enjoy!

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

This recipe keeps getting modified to reduce the overall sugar level.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 3 tablespoons raw honey
• 1/2 cup walnuts, crushed
• 2 cups almond meal
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. In a skillet, toast coconut until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Put the walnuts to the food processor and pulse until they are in smaller pieces.
3. Add the remaining dry ingredients including the toasted coconut until the mixture if fully mixed.

I’m posting this one for my sweet friends Melissa, Emily and Margie. My sister made these for the family a couple of weeks ago and they were a hit. So, I made them for Chad, and passed them out to friends both at home and at CrossFit Long Beach. They went very fast–good post workout recovery snack. I hope you like.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond meal
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsweetened dates, with seeds removed. If you dates are really dry, you may need a few more.

I am very excited to have yet another entry from the legendary Ma Homan - Rhubarb Strawberry Crunch. I am particularly excited about this because I love rhubarb and just don’t see it used much anymore. So support the local rhubarb farmers and make yourself some homemade happiness.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cups sliced fresh rhubarb  (you can use frozen, too)
• 1 pound fresh strawberries, halved
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Greetings! I’m happy to report that CosmicRhino is back after a long hiatus. So let me get straight to the point and share an amazing recipe for a zucchini bread recipe. Instead of white flour, we use whole wheat. And guess what!? It’s also loaded spinach, flax, spinach and walnuts, all superfoods with a wide range of health benefits.

I have to give my super sister props for this one. She makes it for her kids but when her aunties visit, we can’t get enough of it. Of course, my sister grows her own zucchini, ’cause she’s amazing that way. Hope you like!

Need a healthier snack for you or your kids? Something other than chips, cookies and soda? Try this one. It’s fast and simple and I’m addicted to these little guys! It’s the perfect snack when you’re on the go. In fact, they were a hit on a recent hike to Mt. Islip which gave us lots of jumping energy at the peak, as you can see.

A warning: They are not necessarily low in calories so don’t go eating them all in one sitting.

Ingredients and Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth works better)