Smashing Paleo Chocolate Cookies

I love a good cookie.  And I love chocolate.  And so, Smashing Chocolate Cookies were born.  They are easy peasy.  But beware, the chocolate packs a punch.  So keep them away from your toddler unless you actually want a bit of crazy in your life.

Why smashing?  Because it's British.  Yep, I'm one of those.  Plus, these cookies are just so darn good, they deserved a title with some punch.  When you make them, make sure you eat at least one while it's warm. You will be gobsmacked.

Smashing Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

2 C almond meal
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 stick of butter, melted
1/3 C maple syrup
dark chocolate bar of choice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  In a small bowl, combine the butter and maple syrup.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until a nice dough forms.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes.  After you take the cookies out of the oven, but before you take them off the sheet, place a dark chocolate square (from the dark chocolate bar) on each cookie.  Make sure you do this gently, as the cookies will be very hot and you don't want to either burn your fingers or mush the cookies.  Let the chocolate topped cookies sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two, then remove to a plate or rack to cool.  Enjoy.

Workout - 12/15/2013 Variety

Warmup - mobility, jump rope, armbar

Bench Press: 45x5, 135x3, 155x3, 185x3
30x jump rope between sets

Barbell Rollout: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Handstand hold

Armbar 2x1

12/07/2012 - Hard

12/7/2012
YMCA

Warmup - mobility with armbar

24kg
GU: 3 x 1 with overhead carry
SQ: 2 x 5 with 10 second  hold
SW: 5 x 20
GU: 2 x 1
SQ: 8 x 10
1ASW: 4 x 10

Hip stretches, arm bar

note: felt good throughout, increased second set up GU and SQ by double last week

Primal Asian Dressing

I think a good dressing can make a world of difference for a salad. Especially if you're not a natural salad eater (as I am not). Here is my take on a slightly Asian dressing, minus the sweeteners.

Primal Asian Dressing

Ingredients:

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 C olive oil

1/2 C rice vinegar*

1/4 C Bragg Liquid Aminos

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a container that has a good, sturdy lid. I used an old almond butter jar. Shake well. Enjoy on your favorite salad.

*I know some people would not be on board with the rice vinegar. If so, just use your favorite vinegar in place of the rice vinegar!

Primal Pecan Coconut Cookies

It's the holiday season! Time for sparkling lights, presents, and sweet treats. Staying healthy during the holiday season can seem pretty impossible, but I find the primal sweets really help. Hence, I bring you my recipe for Primal Pecan Coconut Cookies.  

There's no need to indulge in those store-bought, preservative-filled holiday cookies when these babies are around. Of course, all things in moderation. So don't be like me and eat 5 or 6 at a time.

Primal Pecan Coconut Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C almond flour

1/2 C pecans (somewhere between roughly and finely chopped)

1/4 C ground flax seed

1/4 C shredded coconut, unsweetened

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/2 C butter, melted

1/3 C maple syrup

1/3 C dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a smallish bowl, mix the melted butter and maple syrup. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, mix the flour, pecans, ground flax seed, coconut, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter/maple syrup mixture to the flour mixture and combine. Add the dark chocolate chips and mix again.

Using a regular spoon, drop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

  

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and golden brown.  Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow the cookies to cool for a minute or two.  Remove from sheet onto a plate or cooling rack.  

Now try not to eat them all.

Workout 11/25/2012 - Variety

11/25/2012

Gymnastic warmup -

• shake out
• shoulder rom
• elbow circles
• wrist circles
• pump
• lizard
• active hip flexion - pike x 10" x 5, straddle x 10" x 5
• butterfly
• arm bar

Headstand - 2 x 20"

Handstand - 4 x comfortable holds

Frog Stand - 3 x comfortable hold

Planche Pushup - 5x

Skin the cat x 5

Back Lever - full, 1/2 right, 1/2 left, straddle, straddle

Front Lever - full (cycle legs), 1/2 right, 1/2 left, straddle

Box Pistol - 15# x 3 x 3

Hollow Body - 3x to 80% fatigue

Dead Bug - 15# KB overhead 10x

Hip flexor stretch/G. Bridges

Workout 11/21/2012 - Easy

11/21/2012

Warmup: 5 min unweighted TGU

24kg

SQ: 3x10
SW: 3x10
Plank: 30"
10 Min GU practice: 1x full, 1x (supine-1/2 kneel), 1x (supine-windmill), 1x (supine-oblique sit)
SQ: 3 x 3 w/ 10" mob at bottom
Plank: 60"
1ASW: 2 x [20kg x 10, 24kg x 10] - total 40 per arm

Workout 11/20/2012 - Variety

11/20/2012

Warmup: WFS, Halo, Pump - 5 min

Deadlift: 135x5x1, 185x5x1, 225x5,4,3,2,1

A1: Handstand Holds - 1 x 5 @ wall

A2: Pullups: 45 x 3 x 5

B1: S/L chair squat: 10 x 3 x 3

B2: Hollow body hold: 1 x 3 (hold till 80% fatigue)

My Mission = Kaizen Wellness

Kaizen refers to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement.  Therefore, Kaizen Wellness is a dedication to continually improving one’s overall well being throughout one’s life’s time.  This includes all the multitude of factors that come together dynamically to make an individual.

This blog will hopefully serve as a guidepost to stimulate the continuous development of the physical, psychological, individual, global, and spiritual aspects that shape our journey.

Thanks  for taking the time to visit. 

Cheers

Workout 11/19/2012 - Medium

11/19/2012 - Medium

5 min mobility warmup

24kg

SW 5×10

Partial get-up (supine – windmill) 5×1 continuous

1A SW 10 – 15 – 10 – 15

Partial get-up (1/2 kneel – stand) 1×5

SQ 3×10

H2H SW 5×10

notes:  today is day one of a new training program – planned on today being medium intensity and took this workout from the HKC manual since it was listed as medium.  I had to modify it down especially with the get-ups.  It called for 3 sets of 5 partial get-ups from supine to 1/2 kneel – this is much too hard for me at this point with the 24kg bell.  Felt good when finished though right wrist began “clicking” during the 1A SW set, felt fine H2H.