Grain-free Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Posted 30 Aug, 2010 in Dessert, Recipes [ 5 Comments ]

I have a confession. I took last week off from the primal lifestyle. A few things contributed to this:

  • I didn’t go to the gym and any other form of exercise was quite minimal.
  • I went out to client lunch and had a few too many glasses of Pinot Noir. I also indulged in the bread basket.
  • I went out for after work drinks and had many more glasses of Pinot Noir and indulged in chips and other fried foods.
  • I ate….gasp…a sandwich for lunch on Saturday.
  • I’ve been having a couple of Salada crackers (Australian version of saltines)  with peanut butter and jam for breakfast.
  • I spent too much time working and not enough time playing.

It’s not terrible but I definitely felt like shit all of last week.  Maybe I was a bit hung over for a part of the week. Work stress definitely contributed to this erratic behavior. And the best justification of all- sometimes you need to fall off the wagon to see how good you have it when you are .  I’m fully back on board and have really realized that this way of eating and exercising really does give me more energy and a sense of sanity.

I’m not going to lie. I loved having my Salada crackers with peanut butter and jam for breakfast. This is comfort food as this is what I used to snack on when I was young. I’m going to attribute the 80/20 rule to this. I can try to make my own low-carb crackers but sometimes it’s just not worth it.  I’d rather eat the real thing but have it in moderation. But there are some things that are just as good using primal ingredients as they are to the real thing.

With that in mind, I made this a few weeks back and it’s pretty good. I’m calling it a pound cake, because the texture reminds me of the frozen Sara Lee pound cake that my mom loves. This cake is meant to be eaten cold as it firms up in the fridge.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Grain-Free Sweet Potato Pound Cake

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
168ml coconut milk (about 1/3 cup)
60 grams butter melted (3 tbs)
1 cup mashed sweet potato
3 tbs honey

  1. Preheat oven to 175°C.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  3. In a food processor, mix the eggs, coconut milk, butter, sweet potato, and honey.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the food processor and mix.
  5. Grease a cake pan with butter.
  6. Spread the batter evenly.
  7. Bake at 175°C for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
  8. Cool completely.
  9. Place in the refrigerator to firm up overnight.
  10. Enjoy cold with a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes about 16 small squares.

First Signs of Spring

Posted 22 Aug, 2010 in Uncategorized [ 2 Comments ]

Spring is only a week away. I can clearly see signs of Spring which I measure by the new flowers on my neighbor’s magnolia tree.

On another note, my computer is broken- bummer. The hard drive shit itself so I need to return it to Toshiba to get it fixed. I must say that I’m enjoying the break from my laptop. Don’t get me wrong. I love my laptop. The internet can be quite addictive so I often find myself spending a little bit too much time on-line, mainly reading nonsense. I spent a bit of time this morning reading nonsense on the spare computer at my house. Aside from reading nonsense, here is a list of other things that are occupying my time these days while I wait for Spring to come:

  • Failure to Launch- NY Times article that explains why I have so many friends who still live at home and why we are the lost generation.
  • Addiction to coffee- a different take on why we LOVE coffee. I read this as I drank my flat white.
  • On my Kindle- The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I love my Kindle.
  • Listening to Hollie Smith‘s new album, Humour and The Misfortune of Others
  • Watching the Rise and Fall of Tiger Woods
  • Loved this movie- Brick Lane based on novel by Monica Ali
  • Central Otago Pinot Noir- I have decided that Pinot Noir is the only red that I will drink.
  • Laughing at my cat and dog. They are getting along better these days as this photo clearly shows the two of them (almost side by side) basking in the sun by the front door. Please ignore the shoes. Cleaning is on my list of things to do.

A Reflection on Food, Life, and Everything Else

Posted 14 Aug, 2010 in Uncategorized [ 1 Comment ]

This is meant to be a food blog but it’s also a reflection of my life as food is a part of my daily life. I started it as a hobby to work on my photography and also to keep a record of the meals that I make. Since February, I started focusing more and more on the Primal/Paleolithic way of eating which is reflective of the recipes that I have been posting.

My diet and exercise regime was quite different at the start of the year as I was following the typical whole grains, low-fat diet split into 6 mini meals. I was also spending a lot of time at the gym on the cardio machines and doing some weight lifting. I love exercise but my routine at the gym was starting to bore me. My diet was bland and I started thinking about the quality of the food that I am eating. My breakfast consisted of a 1/2 a turkey sandwich on wholegrain bread with a spread of light margarine. I snacked on muesli bars and protein shakes. These are not Real Food.

So what am I eating now?

I start my day with coffee. I’ve become a coffee lover in the last couple of months and I don’t think I can go back. I love it. I no longer eat a big breakfast as I prefer to start my day with coffee and a small snack later on in the morning. I snack on nuts and hard boiled eggs and sometime fruit. My lunch is generally a large salad or leftover veggies with a tin of wild salmon. My favorite dinner is steak cooked in butter or ghee with a large salad.

It’s so true- Fat does make everything taste better. I make my own salad dressings using high quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It makes lunch taste so much better and keeps me full for longer. I eat when I’m hungry which frees up so much time given that I no longer have to plan for 6 mini meals throughout the day.

I started going to BodyPump twice a week at my local gym. I’ve never been a huge fan of group classes but I’m really enjoying this class. It’s fast, intense, and it works all the major muscle groups and it’s fun. I also do short sprint exercises once a week. The rest of the time, I take my dog for long walks while listing to my Ipod. I’m no longer obsessed with spending 5-6 days at the gym.

I’m also not super strict with the type of foods I eat. If I want fast food, I’ll have it. If I want dessert, I will have it. But majority of the time, I stick to the real food and tend to keep my carbohydrate intake low. It’s pretty easy to lower the carbohydrates when you get rid of sugar and grains.

My job has exploded on me in the last 6 months so I’m really busy at work. This new way of eating and exercising works with my super busy schedule. I’m no longer tired and I’m so much more focused at work. I firmly believe that your overall well-being should take into consideration ALL aspects of your life- diet, exercise, sleep, stress, work, etc. The small changes I have made to my diet and exercise and how it has positively impacted on other aspects of my life supports this holistic view.

« Older Entries