Boo Bites (Paleo / GAPS Diet Halloween Treats)

Boo!

These little guys came to me in a moment of inspiration. I was already mixing up a batch of coconut manna and honey, with a pinch of sea salt. My copy of the GAPS book suggests that patients with blood sugar regulation issues might benefit from taking a combo of coconut oil and honey between meals, and I think that in my youngest daughter's case, having this combo around every other day or so has helped to keep her calories up and her blood sugar from crashing.

I was mixing the stuff up when I thought to myself how like playdough its consistency was. All of a sudden I knew what I could do; I rolled the "dough" into little balls, flattened the balls, and then pinched out little wispy ghost feet. Two miniature allergen-friendly chocolate chips for eyes and a raisin for a mouth going, "OoooOooooo!" and my Boo Bites were born. My 5 year old gets a huge kick out of these and likes to make ghost noises when she is talking about them. While I think they would be cute in lunches, they do require a certain amount of cold, so it would have to be in a lunchbox containing an ice pack, or one kept in the fridge.

This is a great, safe kitchen project for kids to help! The ghosts don't have to look perfect, and the decoration of the eyes and mouths will definitely keep your little ones busy.

While GAPS keeps sugar absolutely out of the diet (and thus mini chocolate chips with sugar are a no-go), you could easily cut a raisin into two smaller pieces for the eyes, making the treat consist of coconut manna, honey, sea salt, raisins, and if desired, GAPS-legal vanilla. Presto! Totally GAPS compliant. Another option for the eyes could be a couple of unsweetened cacao nibs.

Boo Bites
Makes 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut manna, slightly warm and soft*
• 3-4 tablespoons honey (adjust to your sweetness preference, buy locally or find a good quality one online)
• Pinch sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (Rodelle is one gluten free, junk free option)
• Raisins, for decoration
• Mini chocolate chips, appropriate to your dietary needs (I like the allergen-free Enjoy Life chips)
• A tray or dish lined with parchment paper or wax paper, the right size to fit into your freezer

*One way to soften your coconut manna is to put about 1" of hot water in a larger bowl, and then place a smaller bowl containing the coconut manna into the larger bowl, double-boiler style. After about 10 minutes the coconut manna should be nicely malleable. Remember that coconut manna consistency varies from brand to brand and even jar to jar - you are going for a play-doh style consistency, so if it seems too runny, add more manna. Not runny enough? A little more honey, or even a little added coconut oil.

Directions

Stir together all ingredients except for the raisins and chocolate chips. See above notes on consistency; once you have achieved a nice doughy consistency, roll a chunk of mix into the size of a large marble. Flatten the ball, and then use your fingertips to "pinch out" some ghost feet. Place the ghost on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the coconut "dough" until all the ghosts are made. Decorate the ghosts with the chocolate chips for eyes and the raisins for mouths. Place the dish into the freezer to allow them to set. Serve chilled.

 

This post is participating in Stacy and Matt's annual Paleo Parents Halloween Recipe Roundup.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Shopping Amazon through Primal Kitchen affiliate links supports Primal Kitchen at no additional cost to you, so thank you!!

Have You Used Your $10 Off Any Purchase Vitacost Coupon? You Can Get BPA-Free Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk for $0.86/can!

Edited to add on Monday 4/2: the price of the coconut milk went up since the 4/1 posting - d'oh! Thanks to an anonymous commenter for the heads up.

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I'm shopping Vitacost today - in the past few months, I've discovered that for a lot of items, Vitacost is price competitive to Amazon. (Also nice that to get the low price from Vitacost without having to buy those items in bulk the way I often do on Amazon!) Vitacost also carries some of the harder to find condiments and seasonings out there.

Best of all, the $10 off any Vitacost purchase coupon is still available to first time Vitacost customers, so those price competitive items can be ordered for around the cost of shipping, or $4.99.


Now, Native Forest Coconut Milk (noted by Chris Kresser as one of the only canned coconut milks free of BPA) is down to a new lower price of just $1.69/can on Vitacost, a decent discount from the ~$2/can price at my local Giant. I love using Native Forest to make recipes like Green Curry Dairy Free Chowder and Midwestern Red Beef Rutabaga Curry.


Here's how to work a sweet deal with this new lower price.

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Optional: Go to ebates.com and search for "Vitacost". Clicking to the Vitacost.com website through ebates will get you an additional 4% cash back on your purchase - in this case it could be up to $0.60.

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6 x Native Forest Coconut Milk = $10.14
Subtract your $10 off any purchase Vitacost.com coupon -$10
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Subtotal: $0.14
+ $4.99 shipping = $5.13

So, if you grab your free $10 off any purchase Vitacost coupon, you can score 6 cans of BPA free organic coconut milk for $5.13 (+ tax), shipped to your door. That's a bargain price at around $0.86 cents per can!


If coconut milk is not your thing, here are other posts showing some of the ways you could use your Vitacost coupon to get $10 worth of paleo and primal pantry staples shipped to your door for around the $4.99 shipping cost.

• 13 oz. jar Purity Farms organic ghee, shipped to your door for as low as $4.44. (This ghee is awesome! I've used it throughout my paleo challenge, especially for cooking eggs, and it is smooth and tasty.)
  
  
• Coconut flour, and coconut flakes at half price or lower.
  
  
• Coconut oil shipped for just $4.99.
  
  
• Coconut oil based 200-ct. Vitamin D3 5000 IU softgels - great for wintertime when you don't get as much sun as you'd like - $5.77 total for two bottles.
  
  

What Vitacost items caught your eye for using the $10 off any purchase coupon?

Real Food Advent Calendar: December 7 - Coconut "Milk and Honey" Walnut Cups

The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert before finally arriving at their promised land, a, "...land flowing with milk and honey."

Sometimes - say, in learning how to eat right and to get active - even when you want the fastest path from A to B, it turns out that you need the journey, even a journey that's more roundabout. By the time you finally do reach point B of figuring out what works for you, your very character has been changed for the better because of the process.

Commemorating a final "milk and honey" goal is a little cup with chocolate on the bottom, and on top, melted coconut oil mixed with warmed coconut manna (which mimics the creaminess of coconut milk) and a trace of honey. I dropped in a few walnut pieces to give it crunchy texture and popped the whole thing in the freezer to set.

Meanwhile, to fit the idea of the process being of importance, is an egg of Silly Putty - because it is God with the end point in mind, and He is the Sculptor of our destinies. A "common use" does not denote "unvaluable" - a common water jug used every day is very valuable in its services offered - and thus is of equal importance to some finely sculpted unique object d'art. So - do not worry about whether your destiny is common or noble. Rest in the knowledge that it is valuable and fully in God's hands either way.

Lunchbox #92

Today, my husband's packed lunch featured (clockwise):

• Leftover fried chicken thighs - these were battered with egg, then in a half/half mix of Tropical Traditions Organic Gluten Free Coconut Flour and Let's Do Organic Shredded, Unsweetened Coconut. I had also added some shredded parmesan cheese and seasonings (including salt) to the dry breading mix.
  
  After battering, I fried this batch of chicken thighs in a large pan with Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil on high heat, and then placed the fried thighs into the oven at 400F for around 40 minutes so that the chicken was cooked all the way through. Organic virgin coconut oil is one of your best bets for high heat frying and sauteeing because it is shelf stable and high in saturated fats. This means that the oil won't oxidize and become rancid by the time your meal hits the dinner table! Also, remember that saturated fat is not the enemy.
  
  
• Broccoli, sauteed in a mix of salted Kerrygold and Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, with garlic powder and ginger powder added, as well. I love this side veggie because the florets really soak up that delicious combo of oil and butter.
  
  
• A fresh peach. Yum!
  
  
• Mini-peppers, with the top and seeds cut out, filled with roasted red pepper hummus. This is a very tasty grain-free gluten-free way to enjoy hummus. I'm already contemplating serving them this way as a summer party appetizer.
  
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Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Primal Kitchen at no additional cost to you!

Grain Free Gluten Free Almond Coconut Macaroons

These are a new family favorite, adapted from the Coconut Macaroons on the Tropical Traditions website. I love that they're rich without being cloyingly sweet.

Almond Coconut Macaroons
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
2 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup Let's Do Organic Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1 cup Sliced Almonds
1 Madagascar vanilla bean (this is an optional but fun addition!)
2 eggs

To top, combine (this is an optional garnish):
1 pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon Organic Coconut Palm Sugar (Sweet Tree palm sugar is sustainably produced, more info here)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine honey and warm water in a large bowl, and stir gently until completely combined. Add vanilla extract and stir again to combine.

To the bowl with the honey mixture, add the shredded coconut and sliced almonds. Using a paring knife, slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out all of the seeds into the bowl. Add eggs, and mix everything together at medium speed until thoroughly combined.

Scoop golf-ball-sized pieces of the mix onto parchment paper (I used parchment paper on a Pampered Chef cooking stone). Top each ball of mix with a small pinch of the salt and palm sugar, then bake at 12 minutes. Cookies will be golden brown at the sides and just on top when finished baking.

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Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Primal Kitchen at no additional cost to you!