Cosmic Rhino

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

Mei, one of my CrossFit Long Beach friends, just made this and said it was delicious. I wanted to share with everyone now because I can tell it’s going to be amazing.

On the spiralizer, I am shopping for one now. Mei has this spiralizer and loves it. She also recommends the horizonal kind, not the vertical ones.

Ingredients

• 4 zucchini
• 2 handfuls basil (leaves removed from stems)
• 3 garlic cloves
• pinch sea salt (or any salt you have)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• handful of pine nuts, toasted (if desired)

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.