Ready to Run…

The wind finally died down and the mornings haven’t been so frigid, so I rolled myself out of bed to go on a much needed run!  Came home to grab my princess Makenna and went on a short jog-about with her.  It was such a sweet time, just her and I in the early morning sunshine!  And then it was home to drink  me up a little more sunshine…

 Something about this “green juice” that just brightens my day a little bit more!  And the fun part is, the more I experiment with different fruits and veggies, the more it becomes a mystery as to how it’s going to taste.  Sometimes you just have to walk on the wild side a bit!

 

Speaking of experiments, I’ve been playing around with some different recipes as we near Thanksgiving.  I started with breakfast because who says you have to wait until dinner to enjoy the yummy goodness that this holiday brings? 

 Sweet apples and cinnamon, what’s not to love?

Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake (Grain Free)

(inspired by Against All Grain)

Yields 1 8-inch round cake

Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour

1 1/2 cups almond meal

pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup raw honey, melted

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 large eggs, room temperature (cold eggs will harden the coconut oil!)

2 organic Fuji apples (peeled, cored and roughly chopped)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

For the Cinnamon Swirl

1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil all sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with coconut oil.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, toss together the apples and lemon juice.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.  In another small bowl, combine the coconut oil, eggs, honey, maple syrup and vanilla.  Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry.

Fold in the apple mixture and then spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan.  Spread into an even layer (it will be thick).

Mix the “Cinnamon Swirl” ingredients in a small bowl, then drizzle on top of batter.  Use a toothpick or knife to swirl the mixture into the batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack, then use a knife to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan.  Invert the cake onto the rack and continue to cool.  Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

Tastes just like a cinnamon roll on Christmas morning!

I think the hubs could eat these sweet treats on any holiday, or any meal for that matter!  But I need him to keep fueling up with the “healthy” stuff and lay off the sweet tooth as we get ready for our first “Mud Run” this weekend.  It’s been way too long since I’ve done a race.  Although I run throughout the week, it’s just not the same rush, and I am so looking forward to this 5K obstacle run!  I’m praying that these past few months of Cross Fit will come in handy for climbing up the ropes and scaling the walls!  If nothing else, it will be a fun day getting dirty with the hubs and some great friends!

(source)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Blessings,

J’lene