Paleo Pumpkin-Pie Pancakes

Yes, I like alliteration. Rolls of the tongue, doesn’t it?

PANCAKES! Who doesn’t love them, seriously? You say Sunday morning. I say pancakes. They just work. Any day, any time, really. But unfortunately, most pancakes are full of sugar, and gluten and junk. Especially the Shake ‘n’ Bake kind and yes, even the gluten free variety. (Note to self gluten-free processed foods are not healthy, just because they do not have gluten in them).

I like to experiment with recipes. Sometimes they are complete failure. Other times a huge success. The recipe I am going to share with you, my lovely friends, was a huge success. Otherwise I wouldn’t share it, would I? It probably wouldn’t even go on Instagram because, as everyone knows, you only put the highlights of your life on Instagram.

Anyway, enough jibber jabber (that didn't even get spell-checks. Seriously?).  Give these yummy Paleo pumpkin (yes there is a vegetable hiding in there) pie pancakes a whirl. I am pretty sure even the little ones (meaning kids) would like these. Handy tip: roast the pumpkin the night before in coconut oil.  Roast some other veggies for your dinner that night, while you’re at it. Why not?

Paleo Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

They taste better than they look. Promise.

Ingredients

• ½ cup mashed pumpkin (roast the night before)
• 2 eggs, whisked
• ½-1tsp cinnamon (I have super strong cinnamon at them moment)
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼-1/2 tsp all spice
• ¼ tsp ginger powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• Coconut oil/butter to cook in
• Splash coconut water (or plain water, but coconut will be sweeter)

How to

1. Heat oil/butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat
2. Mix all ingredients, except coconut water, in a mixing bowl until smooth
3. Add a splash of coconut water to thin out the consistency a little
4. Add dollops of mixture to the pan once it is hot, allowing to cook lightly (2-3mins) on one side, then flip and repeat
5. Serve with whatever your heart desires. Mine desired sunflower seeds and coconut flakes. A little full fat yoghurt and some berries would probably be quite nice, too
6. ENJOY!

PS. Have you checked out the AHSNZ conference yet? 

Paleo Meatballs & Mash

This week's guest post is from the beautiful Chantel from EvoPrime Fitness in Airlie Beach. I have known Chantel for a few years now - she is the other half of our amazing friend Jan, who worked with us at Primal Fitness in Sydney. Lucky for us, Jan stayed in contact after he moved to one of the most beautiful places in Australia (It is where Brangelina recently dined), and to this day, Chantel and Jan remain very close, lifelong friends of ours. Check out the cute couple with their ViPR baby:

Take it away, Chantel:

Well I have never shared a recipe before so I am a little bit excited about it. I love cooking and I love eating, however my work/home/study life usually puts a dampener on my creative time in the kitchen. But that's all about to change... I am working on freeing myself up to engage in more of the things that I enjoy to do, and creative cooking is definitely one of them!

Tuesday morning I was driving to work thinking about all that needed doing this day. The conversation went back and forth with myself in my head, and eventually got to the dreaded question of ..... what's for dinner?! What miracle creation can I produce with the limited  produce available in my refrigerator for dinner? I had some pork mince that needed to be used up, so my protein was sorted and I thought it might be cool to make them into meatballs (pretty creative for me). The rest would be conjured up with whatever vegetables I had available.

Do you ever have those mornings where you get into the car and drive on autopilot, so consumed in thought that by the time you have worked through your entire schedule you are at your destination thinking, "Jeez that was quick. How did I even get here?" If this is you too,  I am here to tell you that this is very hazardous and I'm suggesting you STOP IT!!!! Why, you ask - because that's not living in the present. Enjoy your beautiful scenic tour and music before you start your days work. I promise, you will walk through your work doors more refreshed, happy and ready for what's ahead! And the second reason... Have you seen the side of my car? 

Anyway, before I give you the recipe, I have to tell you what is so good about my meatballs and mash that made me want to share it with you.

1. They were super delicious and a bit "gourmet!"
2. I used ingredients that are staples in my house, and should be in yours.
3. I used ingredients that are whole foods (no canned, bottled, or sachet sauces)
4. It was easy to make (especially with a thermomix, more on that to come)
5. No sugar, gluten, dairy (except some organic butter, because that guy is definitely welcomed) or any other disruptive food additives.

 Ok, so now that you are convinced as to why to give them a go, here is HOW!

By the way, I have just realised one important reason why I have been holding back sharing recipes with you all - I have a thermomix (if you don't know what this is or someone who has one, sorry but you haven't lived). It makes chopping, cooking, steaming super easy and super quick so I find myself not even knowing how to convert what I cook to normal pots and pans and oven talk. But I've decided to not be so selfish and try!!! Kate Callaghan it's seriously time you invest!!!!! With your skills you will be dangerous with this in your kitchen!!!!

(Kate's note re Thermomix pushing - I'm considering it, although I do kind of like working with multiple pots and pans and hanging out in the kitchen, tasting as I go. Not sure my husband agrees, considering he is left to deal with the aftermath)

Meatballs & Mash

It tastes better than it looks, I promise!
Still working on my presentation skills!

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 400g of pork mince
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 capsicum
• 1 egg
• Sprinkle of coconut flour
• Fresh herbs from my garden (chives, parsley, mint) (If you're reading this, not sure if Chantel has enough herbs in her garden for everyone, so you may need to source your own. Just sayin')

 Napoli Sauce

• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 zucchini
• Salt and pepper
• Water (to adjust consistency)

Cauliflower Mash

• 1/2 cauliflower
• Butter (grass fed, organic)
• Yeast Flakes
• Salt and pepper

Method:

Meatballs

1. Chop garlic, onion, vegetables and herbs in a food processor (or thermomix bowl). Transfer to mixing bowl
2. Add pork mince and egg and combine (easiest to use your hands). If too runny, sprinkle with some coconut flour to absorb excess moisture
3. Roll in hands to make small rissoles/meatballs
4. Now this is where it gets challenging. I steamed my meatballs in the varoma part of the thermomix for 25 mins. So alternatively you could bake your meatballs in the oven, steam them, or cook slowly on the pan with coconut oil.

Napoli Sauce

1. Add all ingredients into the food processor (thermomix) and blend to form a liquid
2. Add water if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat in saucepan or thermomix.

Cauliflower mash

1. Boil/steam cauliflower in pot or thermomix
2. Strain water and add cauliflower to food processor/thermomix or mash with fork
3. Add tablespoon of butter, salt, pepper and yeast flakes to cauliflower mash (I don't know about you but these yeast flakes remind me of parmesan cheese) 

 Serve mash on bottom, meatballs and sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Well I was pretty chuffed with myself after a hard day that my car park creation was a quick and tasty success. Made easier of course with my "Thermy" (pet name for my thermomix). So what do you think? No need for traditional pasta and bottled sauce when you have this easy alternative.

 

Thermomix in action, steaming the meatballs

P.S. If you are wondering, no I'm not a thermomix consultant. Its just a joy to work with and legitimately easier. I still have a slow cooker and pots and pans :)

Should you eat white potatoes?

I was going to make the title “You say potato, I say potato”, but the written word doesn’t really convey that sentence very well now, does it? I’d have to spell it out like they do in the Oxford: “pohtahtoh” and that would just be too confusing.

Secondly, I figured a title asking a provocative question would be more effective at sucking you in. “Oh my god!! Should I eat white potatoes? I must check this out!”

Was I right or was I right? (Lesson number one to get people to agree with you: don’t provide options for disagreement).

Now, we are going to get to the topic of white potatoes, but first I want to leave you hanging just a little to update you on some personal information, most of which you probably couldn’t give a rats-arse about. Whatever, it’s my blog. I can do what I want. (But really, if you have to make an important potato decision in the next few minutes, feel free to scroll down to the promised information).

Update #1 – I’m now living in New Zealand and it’s sweet as, eh bro!?

If you didn’t already know, I married a kiwi a few years back. Kiwi men are pretty great, actually. Especially mine. That’s why I agreed to come back to the mother ship with him. We spent the last month doing a little tiki-tour around the south island (you can see some pics HERE in my last post) to see where we felt comfortable (and where had the best kombucha) and where we might like to settle down. We decided on Wanaka. Here is a gratuitous shot of said place:

Image via lakewanaka.co.nz

Visitors welcome! The ski-fields in the winter are apparently the best in the country. During the summer it's pretty amazing, too. 

Update #2 – I’m writing stuff in other places

Yep! I’m cheating on this blog with a couple of other sites. I’m becoming a blog tart:

a) Woman.com.au – you can check out my first post HERE 

b) I Quit Sugar – I mostly write in the forums, which are only accessed by people completing the program, but occasionally I will offer my “expert” opinion on matters of interest, such as coffee HERE

Check them out and let me know what you think!

Update #3 – I’m writing an ebook

 I realise this could have nestled under “Update #2”, however I wanted to add an extra update to make myself seem more important.

I started writing a little ebook on health and wellness this morning. I’m planning on it not being a monster of a book. More of a get-started primer. If you’re lucky, it may be free, at least for those of you who are good at bribery. More on this as it progresses. Progression may be slow as I tend to get distracted by things like Grey’s Anatomy and trampolines:

Jumping on the trampoline with my 4yr old niece, Lucy

Back to the spuds

Do you ever say things because everyone else says them? Or because they sound right? Or because potatoes taste too good to possibly be good for you? Or because Mr Potato-Head rubbed you up the wrong way? 

Look at him - all smug and potatoey! Image source

A few years ago, I was home in the country with my parents. My mum cooks a pretty mean baked dinner – something I look forward to (and specifically request) each time I go home. This time I shunned the baked white potatoes exclaiming, with mild disgust and an air of arrogance:

“O.M.G! White potatoes are pretty much just piles of sugar. They are nothing else. They are no good for you! (and I am the source of all knowledge because I’m a dietitian!)”

And I proceeded to sit smugly, enjoying my baked dinner sans-white potato (but loaded with sweet potato), knowing (thinking) that my blood sugar levels would thank me later.

My Dad tried to tell me otherwise, stating that he once went on a diet where he ate loads of potatoes every day. He said he felt amazing and that he actually lost weight. “It must have been something else that you were doing. It could not have been the potatoes”, I said. Dismissive little shit, I was.

Where did this “potatoes=sugar=poison” mindset come from?

1. Paleo diet enthusiasts. Back in the day, all carbs were bad as they cause blood sugar to rise and insulin to release, which is the devil hormone (not really) as it promotes fat storage (among many other important processes), therefore carbs suck. And potatoes are a great source of carbs. Therefore potatoes suck. We now know better. Carbs aren’t so bad (for most people, especially those who exercise and are free of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity). More on this in an upcoming post. It was also thought that ‘taters don’t have anything in them BUT carbs. You’ll see evidence to the contrary below
2. Mainstream dietetics. Yep, this was one of those situations where both camps (paleo vs mainstream dietitians) agreed on something. Potatoes are high on the glycemic index (higher than table sugar, infact), meaning, as mentioned above, they cause a large spike in blood sugar. I don’t really agree with the glycemic index. I wrote about why on I Quit Sugar, which you can read HERE.
3. Potatoes are white. Sugar is white. Cocaine is white. Uncool by association, I suspect. 

Are the ‘taters really all that bad?

As it turns out, and as you may have guessed already, no. No they are not. Now, it is no secret that I have a bit of an obsession with sweet potatoes. They are delicious morsels of goodness in every way shape and form. But for the sake of this post, I want to compare the nutritional content of the sweet and white potato. Let’s do so by way of an easy-to-view table, previously constructed by yours truly. I’ve even highlighted some points of interest:

Potato vs Sweet Potato per 100g
	New (white) potato	Sweet potato
Energy	419kJ	362kJ
Moisture	72.1g	74g
Protein	3.5g	2.3g
Nitrogen	0.56g	0.37g
Fat	0.2g	0.1g
Dietary fibre	2.4g	3.7g
Fructose	0.1g	1.5g
Glucose	0.5g	2.1g
Sucrose	0.3g	3.3g
Maltose	0g	0g
Lactose	0g	0g
Total sugars	0.8g	6.8g
Starch	18.6g	10.4g
Available carbohydrate	19.4g	17.2g
Calcium	7mg	33mg
Iron	0.91mg	0.61mg
Magnesium	30mg	17mg
Potassium	779mg	305mg
Sodium	5mg	12mg
Zinc	0.53mg	0.61mg
Thiamin (B1)	0.116mg	0.031mg
Riboflavin (B2)	0.043mg	0.058mg
Niacin (B3)	1.8mg	1.16mg
Niacin Equivalents	2.62mg	1.86mg
Total folates	15ug	12ug
Dietary folate equivalents	15ug	12ug
Alpha carotene	0ug	55ug
Beta carotene	0ug	7244ug
Cryptoxanthin	0ug	329ug
Beta carotene equivalents	0ug	7436ug
Retinol	0ug	0ug
Retinol equivalents	0ug	1239ug
Vitamin C	29mg	30mg
Tryptophan	42mg	38mg
Source: NUTTAB 2010 Online Searchable Database

OK, let’s go through some of the highlighted points:

1. White potatoes have slightly more protein than sweet potatoes, although I would not recommend counting on either as a bioavailable (available to the body) source of protein. The best protein comes from animal sources. Sorry vego friends.
2. Sweet potatoes have more fructose than white potatoes, and the ratio of fructose:glucose is higher in sweet potatoes. Why does this matter? Glucose is easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Fructose, not so much. If paired in equal amounts with glucose, there shouldn’t be a problem – you could view glucose as a bit of a vehicle for fructose. If there is more fructose than glucose, this could spell issues for people with digestive problems, especially those who cannot tolerate FODMAPS.
3. White potatoes have a considerably higher starch content, which breaks down to glucose to be used for energy or to replace glycogen stores (glucose which is stored in the liver and muscle). Note: this starch content comes in handy when cooked potatoes are cooled for ~24hrs, producing “resistant starch” which, more evidence is proving, has some pretty nifty beneficial effects on the gut flora and digestion.
4. Sweet potatoes have a higher calcium content. Would you have thought of these little babies as a source of calcium? No? Good. You would have to eat a shite-load to get anywhere near the mainstream recommendations of 1,000mg per day.
5. White potatoes have around double the content of magnesium and potassium! Going by the NHMRC nutrient reference values, 100g of potato (about 1 large new potato) provides ~27% of your daily requirements for potassium. Fun fact: 100g of banana (about 1 medium) provides ~346mg of potassium. And this: 100mL of coconut water provides ~200mg of potassium. Conclusion: potatoes shit all over these other sources! Just in case you were wondering, potassium is important for blood pressure regulation and heart health, maintaining electrolyte balance within he body, kidney health and more!
6. Sweet potatoes blow white potatoes out of the water when it comes to beta-carotene, which is a precursor for vitamin A. The daily recommendations for vitamin A, expressed as retinol equivalents is 700ug/day (micrograms/day). A 100g serve of sweet potato provides more than 10 times that amount! Wowsers! Vitamin A helps maintain normal reproduction, vision and immune function. Note that beta-carotene (and other carotenoids) are precursors for vitamin A. Just because there is a tonne of the precursor in the food, this doesn’t mean you are going to be able to convert it all to its usable, vitamin A form. Pre-formed vitamin A is only found in animal products, such as liver, eggs and grass-fed butter, so best you go and make some pate! 

So there you have it! The ‘taters aren’t so shabby after all, are they? I certainly have enjoyed adding them back into my diet. Here’s how I like to munch on them:

Image by Norma Miller via pinterest

1. Peeled and roasted in duck fat and sea salt until they are crispy. If you haven’t tried potatoes this way, you haven’t lived.
2. Boiled/steamed and served with a great big dollop of grass-fed butter. Note: boiling will reduce the potassium content by about 50% as it is lost to the surrounding water
3. Boiled/steamed and mashed with butter and chives, or cumin, or both!
4. Cooked, cooled and eaten with a smattering of sea salt OR thrown into a potato salad with some homemade mayo. 

 Now go and enjoy some yummy, AND nutritious, potatoes my friends!

Nutrition information sources:

NUTTAB 2010 Online Searchable Database 

NHMRC Nutrient Reference Values