Grain-free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This recipe isn't 100% GAPS legal since the dark chocolate contains a tiny bit of sugar, but until I find the time to make my own carob chips (I actually bought a bunch of organic raw carob powder a couple weeks ago but have yet to muster the courage to use it), these will suffice. Not totally satisfied with any of the paleo or GAPS chocolate chip cookie recipes I found online, I came up with this one, which my boys, husband, and I all agree are just as good if not superior to the grain-based chocolate chip cookies we once knew. When I made these  yesterday, I didn't have enough almond butter, so I substituted 3/4 cup almond butter with crunchy peanut butter, and the end result was equally delicious.

1 lb. jar of almond butter (1 3/4 cups)
1 cup blanched almond flour
1 cup coconut sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 oz. 72% chocolate bar (1/4 of Trader Joe's "Pound Plus" bar), chopped into chunks
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Combine ingredients in a mixer. Mixture will be oily. Scoop dough by the teaspoonful, roll into balls, place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten each ball of dough with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350 F for 11 minutes.

Three cheers for leftover meatloaf

This evening I ran into the mother of one of the twins' classmates after their baseball game. She told me that she's in the school cafeteria once a week and is amazed at what my boys are willing to eat for lunch. While I was chatting with her, Caleb ran up to us and asked me what we're having for dinner. When I told him that leftover meatloaf was on the menu, his face erupted into a huge smile and he exclaimed "Yay! I love meatloaf!" prompting her to ask me, slightly bewildered, "how do you do that?" I replied that my boys just love to eat, which is true. What I didn't get into was the fact that they weren't always so enthusiastic about meatloaf, or anything other than nuggets, noodles, or french fries, for that matter, but I'll save that story for another day.

Anyway, here are a few of the twins' lunches from this past week:

Wednesday: pineapple, cinnamon almond muffin, champagne mango, romaine, apple, cheese stick.

Thursday: champagne mango, strawberries, carrots, romaine, apple, cheese stick, cinnamon almond muffin.

Friday: almond tea muffin, champagne mango, strawberries, apple, carrots, romaine, cheese stick.

Breadcrumb-free Meatloaf

For the loaves:
2 packages of Costco's Organic Ground Beef (2.68 lbs)
2 large onions, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
6 stalks of celery, diced
4 Tbsp minced garlic
1 can of tomato sauce
3 eggs
2 cups almond flour
6 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
2 tsp Kosher salt
coconut oil

For the sauce:
1 can tomato paste
Splash of apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup raw honey
1 tsp salt

Saute onions in coconut oil until caramelized, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Repeat with bell pepper, then saute celery and garlic together. Combine all ingredients, mix thoroughly. Press into two loaf pans, using a spatula to form into gentle mounds.

Bake 45 minutes at 400 degrees F. Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat on medium-low for several minutes. Spread over fully cooked meatloaves. For best results, let meatloaves sit for about half an hour before enjoying. If you don't, they'll fall apart but will still taste good!

My meatloaf-deprived boys came home from swim practice last night and scarfed these down. This morning, Caleb asked me to pack the leftovers in his lunch. Fearing the mess he'd make at school, I didn't oblige, but I think it's safe to say that they were a hit!

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing made with Olive Oil & Honey

Frustrated in my attempts to find a salad dressing void of sugar, soy, canola, or other bad oils, I came up with this honey mustard dressing, my boys' favorite flavor. I made it while holding a baby in one arm and it didn't take very long at all.

1 12-oz. bottle of mustard
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper

Shake as much of the mustard as you can into a large glass jar, then pour the lemon juice into the jar and swish it around to release the remaining mustard stuck to the sides of the bottle. Pour it into the jar, along with the rest of the ingredients. Stir (I used a chopstick) then shake to fully combine. This is also great for dipping snap peas and carrots, or as a sauce for almond-flour battered baked chicken.