A Very Short Guide To Eating Paleo Goodies…And A Picture of Some Very Delicious Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread…

So this past weekend I participated in a mud race/obstacle course called Tough Mudder. It was based in Temecula, so I shared a house with a few other people for the weekend. One of the guys who stayed at the house is a devout follower of the paleo diet. For those of you who are not familiar with this type of eating, it is generally a diet based on real foods and is sans grains. That’s right, no quinoa, no rice, no bread…this diet is generally healthy fats, lean proteins and lots of green vegetables.

However, there is also some room for “Paleo goodies” or as some call it, “Paleo junk.” These items usually include baked goods, like cookies, muffins and breads. The catch is that they are made from healthy ingredients that don’t have any flour or chemical substances in them, like coconut oil, almond flour, ground cashews, coconut milk, dairy-free chocolate, etc. However, one must be reminded that these items are called “goodies” or “junk” for a reason….they are extremely high in calories and FAT! Yes, it is usually good fat, but if a person is not active or overeats any of these paleo treats, just like a non-paleo cookie, eventually the calories add up and you will get fat. You may not feel as full or bloated if you are a person who is irritated by grain-based products, but you will not get skinny binging on paleo chocolate chip cherry muffins or paleo waffles with cashew coconut ice cream, so just be mindful of that.

I made the following recipe because the guy who stayed at this house we all rented for the weekend made these paleo muffins for us to try out for breakfast one morning. They were amazing and I wanted to see if after my last failed paleo attempt I could redeem myself. Of course, once I got home after buying the ingredients, I realized I do not own a muffin tin ( I will have to fix that!) and ended up just making this a bread instead. It turned out amazing, and I think it is because this recipe has the correct amount of pumpkin to coconut flour ratio, and the last recipe did not specify for me the ratios, so I guessed.

I am not going to write the recipe here, just post a picture, and let you know that the recipe is at www.paleomg.com under PALEO PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS. Totally worth a try. The spices and chocolate chips (non-dairy, soy or nut based….I was surprised at how delicious they taste!) make these a worthwhile goodie to have in your home, or to share with friends and family over the holidays. Plus you can freeze or refrigerate them and have ONE piece/muffin every day as a treat and not feel guilty.