I Luuuuuvvvvv pecan pie. I LOVE it soooo much BUT I am not a fan of how I feel after eating it. There is a reason why I feel so gross on Thanksgiving after I taste a few bites. Listen to these main ingredients in pecan pie.... corn syrup, brown sugar, flour, butter, more sugar and they suggest eating it with vanilla ice cream! No wonder people gain weight and feel disgusting after eating it. My paleo pecan pie bar recipe is NOT a low-calorie dessert so you MUST control your portion. It is filled with clean, healthier, ingredients so you will not feel sluggish and bloated after 1 small piece. Learn about the health benefits of coconut sugar instead of eating table sugar or corn syrup. This paleo pecan pie recipe is absolutely delightful, the sinful taste of pecans, grass-fed butter, and honey mixed together is out of this world! After it is cooked slice it up into small squares and freeze it. Take one out when you feel the urge for a mouth-watering, delectable dessert! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST
2 sticks of unsalted Kerry Gold Grass-Fed Butter
2/3 cup coconut sugar
2 2/3 cups tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

TOPPING
1 stick Kerry Gold Grass-Fed Butter
1 cup of coconut sugar
1/3 cup of raw, organic honey
2 tbsp of full-fat coconut milk
2 cups of chopped raw, unsalted pecans
1/4 cup enjoy life chocolate chips sprinkled on top (optional)

STEPS:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a 9X13 pan with parchment paper. Leave enough for a 2" over-hang on all sides.

3. Cream together the butter and the coconut sugar until fluffy with a mixer.

4. Add in the tapioca flour and the sea salt. Mix until crumbly.

5. Press the crust into the pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes.

6. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling by combining the butter, coconut sugar, raw honey and coconut milk in a saucepan and stir it over medium heat. Let the mixture simmer for 1 minute. Next, stir in the chopped pecans.

7. Remove the crust from the oven and immediately pour the pecan filling over the hot crust and spread it to cover the entire surface.

8. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

9. Remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle with enjoy life chocolate chips (optional). Let bars cool completely.

10. Using the parchment paper over-hang lift the bars out of the pan. Slice and serve!

My daughter Chloe, age 15 created this video at CrossFit Magnitude of these strong, inspiring, fit, and healthy woman, including myself(: after watching the CrossFit video, "Beauty in Strength." I showed this video to Chloe a couple of years ago hoping it would inspire her to do CrossFit. She is at the age where the media and the magazines influence young women to believe that being skinny is the most important. I wanted to show Chloe that being strong and healthy is. CrossFit is based on performance, hitting certain goals in the gym, getting fitter and faster and NOT about the number on the scale. Chloe takes CrossFit classes 4-5x a week, it has helped her gain confidence in everything she does in her life, during a class she is around positive men and woman that support and help each other. I am extremely proud of Chloe, she is truly a gift from God. I am blessed to have her as my daughter. She is a remarkable daughter, sister, niece, friend and cousin. She gives 150% in whatever task she is doing. Chloe WILL make a difference in this world!

Thank You for taking the time to watch this video. Enjoy!!

This picture is the final product of seasoning recipe #1. Absolutely heavenly!

Hello! 

I cannot believe it is July 31, 2016. In 4 weeks Chloe will be a Sophmore in High School, Conor graduated from H.S and is working more than full time at a local fence company. Conor will be taking classes in January. Wow, does time fly. So far we have had a wonderful summer. My family and I went to Florida to visit Mark's Mom and Sister, we all went to Martha's Vineyard for a week to visit Mark's brother, Jack and his family, my siblings rented houses in Oak Bluffs the same week we were there so everyone was able to hang out together. It was a fantastic way to reconnect with both sides of the family. In a few weeks Chloe, Trish and I are going to Provincetown, Cape Cod to visit friends. I cannot complain. Life is good!

Thank God for sweet potatoes on a paleo diet! I train so hard in the gym that I need a food that I can eat that will give me enough energy for my workouts while keeping an over load of insulin from pouring through my body. Sweet potatoes are loaded with potassium and Vitamin A.  Sweet potatoes are considered a low glycemic food, which means they release sugar slowly into the blood stream. This means you will get a steady amount of energy without the blood sugar spikes. They will control your blood sugar and maintain your energy. Whoot..Whoot! In other words you will not store fat as long as you don't over eat them. Refer back to my blog post about portion control.

Enjoy the rest of your Summer, eat clean, keep on working out, take time for yourself!

Check out these recipes. You will be in heaven!

Steps:

1. Slice 3 medium sweet potatoes into wedges or chunks.

2. Place sweet potato chunks in a large bowl and cover with ice and fill with water. Let it sit for 30 minutes. This helps the seasonings stick better. It totally works, you will be amazed! See picture below.

3. After 30 minutes drain the ice water and pat the sweet potatoes dry with a paper towel. Put them back into a dry bowl. Toss the sweet potatoes with your seasoning of choice.  There are 3 different seasonings to choose from. Pick the one that fits your taste buds the best!  See below.

4. After you toss the sweet potatoes with the seasonings place the sweet potatoes into a large pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

SEASONING RECIPE #1
-1/4 cup melted Kerry Gold grass-fed butter or 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
-1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon
-dash of sea salt
-1/2 cup of coconut sugar
-2 stevia's
toss all ingredients in a large bowl with sweet potato wedges/chunks then follow step #4. 
Make sure you cover the sweet potatoes completely with all the ingredients.

SEASONING RECIPE #2
-1/4 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
3-4 tbsp fresh dill, minced
-toss all ingredients together into a large bowl then follow step #4. Make sure you cover the sweet potatoes completely with all the ingredients.

Seasoning #2. YUM!

SEASONING RECIPE #3
-1/4 cup melted coconut oil or 1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tbsp rosemary
-3 cloves of fresh garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
-sea salt and pepper to taste
-toss all ingredients together into a large bowl then follow step #4. Make sure you cover the sweet potatoes completely with all the ingredients.

STEP #2

STEP #3

STEP #4. This picture was taken before the sweet potatoes were put in the oven.This is seasoning recipe #1. Sweet and delicious!