Running, maple syrup and brownies

As the end of the year draws near, I'm feeling the pressure to reach my milage goal of 600 miles in 2012.  I set that goal in January, feeling that it was a lofty goal and unlikely to be reached.  Color me surprised when I looked at my totals and found that I only had 21 more miles to go!  With 2 weeks left in the year, I definitely think I'm going to make it.  I've run about 1/3 of this year on the Paleo diet.  I definitely feel that my recovery is faster, which is ideal when I've got back to back half marathons in every month.  The weight I dropped going paleo has helped too.  Less weight is more speed and less damage done to my structural muscles.
Besides my milage goal, I also had a goal of running three half marathons in 2012.  My very FIRST half marathon was the San Diego Rock n Roll in 2011.  I thought I'd push myself and do 3 times that in 2012.  As of right now, I have SIX half marathon medals hanging on my Brag Wall. That means I ran 5 halfs in 2012.  I never thought I'd be so into a physical sport.  And paleo just makes it better.

I had to teach myself about Maple Syrup and the grading of it this week.  A recipe I wanted to make required GRADE B maple syrup.  And apparently maple syrup is NOT the stuff I've been putting on m pancakes forever.  Apparently that stuff is just corn syrup with flavorings added to it.  If YOU want to learn more about maple syrup, the Huffington Post has a great article on the differences in grades of the sweet stuff and what they are used for.

You may be asking yourself, "Well, what was the recipe??" I aim to please, so here it is.

Dark Chocolate Banana Bites by Paleo Parents

• 2 bananas
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 C coconut oil, liquified
• 1/2 C maple syrup, we recommend Grade B
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 C almond flour
• 1/2 C cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup ENJOY LIFE chocolate chips

1. Using an electric mixer or food processor, combine all of the wet ingredients (bananas should smooth out)
2. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients except chocolate chips
3. While mixing on low, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined
4. Sir in chocolate chips to the dough
5. Using a silicon mini muffin pan or mini muffin liners on a metal pan, scoop the dough until almost full into mini muffin pan
6. Cook at 350 for 10 minutes

Makes 4 dozen; store chilled and let come to room temperature before serving or eating. 

Nutritional info
Serving size 1 mini muffin 107 calories 7g fat 4g sat fat  32mg cholesterol  11.6mg sodium  9.2 carbs  1.4g fiber  2.6g protein

Paleo Cake Pops

These are so good that a friend who tried them said "You lie! Those cake pops can't be paleo...they taste way too good. Gonna need the recipe for those."  You know it's a good friend when they can compliment you AND accuse you of being a liar at the same time.  But that friend is right, the cake pops I made ARE so good that you'll forget that they won't cause an inflammatory response in your body or cause you to ruin your ketosis.  Unless you're allergic to coconut, in which case I ask how you can possibly be paleo since almost everything I make has a form of coconut in it.

For the base of the cake pops I used the Coconut Chocolate Cake recipe found at civilized caveman cooking creations. I then followed the Cake Pop instructions found at Chewing the Fat with Paleo Brat. For the Chocolate, I used ENJOY LIFE vegan chocolate chips.  

Coconut Chocolate Cake by Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 Cup Almond Flour
• 1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
• 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
• Coconut Oil for Grease

Process:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees
2. Melt your chocolate and coconut milk in a small sauce pan over low heat
3. Once the chocolate is melted, transfer to a mixing bowl or your stand mixer
4. Add in your eggs and mix well
5. Now add in your almond flour, shredded coconut, salt, and baking powder and mix well
6. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil
7. Transfer your batter to your baking dish and sprinkle with your slivered almonds and some coconut if you would like
8. Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean

How to make Cake Pops from Chew the Fat with Paleo Brat

Ingredients

• 1 chocolate and/or coconut cake, recipes follow
• 6 bars dark chocolate, I use Trader Joe's Organic Super Dark Chocolate it is 73% cacao and does NOT contain soy lecithin. 
• Bamboo skewers, sharp ends trimmed off and cut the skewers in half
• Chopped almonds
• Chopped pecans
• Unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

1. Pull chunks off of the cake and roll into 1"-2" balls.  You may need to just eat the edges of the cakes because they may be too dry to hold the shape of the balls :) Place the balls onto a cookie sheet and freeze for at least 15 minutes.   In a double boiler, melt the chocolate over medium heat.  Take one skewer and dip it into the chocolate, about 1/2" down on the stick.  Immediately put a ball on the skewer.
2. Dip the ball into the melted chocolate, coating it completely (but not leaving it in the hot chocolate too long because it WILL fall off).  Gently tap the skewer on the side of the pan to allow the excess chocolate to drizzle back into the pan.
3. Roll the cake pop into your desired topping.
4. Allow the cake pop to cool, and enjoy!