Paleo Bars/Granola

2 C.         Almond Flour/Meal

½ C.        Raw Pepitas (Trader Joes or www.nutsonline.com)

½ C.        Raw Sunflower Seeds

½ C.        Dried Fruit of Choice

½ C.        Flaked unsweetened Coconut

¼ C.        Coconut Oil, Melted

¼ C.        Honey

1 TBS.    Organic Vanilla Extract

½ tsp.    Cinnamon (or to taste)

Heat oven to 350

In a large bowl mix the almond flour, nuts, fruit and coconut until combined.  In a small bowl mix the wet ingredients and then add to the almond flour mixture.  With your hands mix until all the flour is moist.   At this point you can go 2 ways with the mixture: 

If you want granola, spread the mixture evenly on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes (or until golden brown) stirring around 2 or 3 times.  Make sure you rack is in the upper portion of the oven, the almond flour tends to burn easily.  Store in an airtight container.

If you want bars press the mixture (making sure to keep the mixture even, you want it to fill most of the cookie sheet so it should be about ¼” thick) onto the lined baking sheet and cook for 15-18 minutes.  Once cooled, you can break into chunks or cut with a knife into nice bars.  Store in a Ziploc bag.

Recipe by Terra Sittner

Beef Jerky

So here is the much anticipated Beef Jerky recipe. This is a great take-along, tide-you-over-till-your-next-meal kind of a snack. It's super easy, and if you have a plug-in wall timer, you can set it the night before and wake up to a fresh batch that's ready to go!











Ingredients
■2.5 lbs London Broil, Flank Steak , or any really lean cut of beef. (grass-fed is best, but not necessary)
■2/3 cup Organic Tamari (or Coconut Aminos)
■1/3 cup hot water
■1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
■1 Tablespoon Liquid smoke
■1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
■1 Tablespoon Onion powder
■1/2 Tablespoon Cayenne powder
■2 Tablespoons Red pepper flakes (set aside)



















Here's how I do it:
To slice the meat, I use a mandolin set to about medium thickness (about the size of thick sliced bacon). If you don't have a mandolin, hand slicing works, too, it just takes a little longer. Tip: put your meat in the freezer for about an hour to an hour and a half before slicing; this firms it up and makes it much easier to work with. :)

Slice all the meat and put it aside in a container. I use glass Snapwear containers



Stick it in the fridge for at least 6 hours, overnight is best. You don't have to, but whenever I open the fridge I give it a good shake or two.

When it's time to dehydrate, I take the meat out of the fridge, and place it in a colander. Using hot water, rinse the meat. Now it's time to start laying the meat on the trays. Be sure the meat doesn't overlap or it won't dry properly.

After you finish each tray, sprinkle some red pepper flakes over the meat. How much you put on depends on how spicy you like it. For my dehydrator, I set it to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for about four hours. You will want to check your own macine to make sure it's set for the correct time and temp.

The jerky is done when the outside cracks when you bend it. I had to do a few batches before I really got a feel for this, and you probably will, too. Fortunately, even the batches I over-cooked and under-cooked ended up yummy.

When its done, let the jerky cool to room temperature. Then, when I'm ready to store it, I put the jerky in a gallon size zip lock bag with a paper towel in it (to absorb any excess moisture) and stick it in the fridge.

That's it :) I hope you enjoy this delicious snack as much as we do!













In a microwave safe bowl, mix all the other ingredients together, except the red pepper flakes. Then, pop it in the microwave for about a minute. Next pour the warmed mixture over your meat, being sure to coat all the pieces. This is where the Snapwear comes in handy, just click the lid on and give it a good couple of shakes.

Asparagus Basil Salad

This super healthy Asparagus Basil Salad is a not just nutritious, it's a treat for the palate. Trust me, it's delectable, especially right now using wonderfully ripe vegetables at peak season. I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine. Actually, I didn't find it, our family friend Mrs. Rose found it and made it for Mr. Rose's 75th birthday, a fabulous little gathering that the boys and I attended when we were in Davis, California visiting my folks a couple of weeks ago.

For those of you that commented on my last post, The Gluten Free Diet, about family and friends that don't understand, accommodate or respect your dietary restrictions (or eating plan, as I prefer to say) Mrs. Rose made tons of gluten free food for us! And so, a yummy dinner was enjoyed by all.

However, IMHO, it really is up to us to maintain our boundaries and not eat food that makes us feel awful, just to spare someone else's feelings. I would rather hurt their feelings than hurt my body; has anybody else been in a situation like that?

In any event, here's a yummy salad that pretty much anyone can enjoy. If you don't do nightshades, it's still delicious without the tomatoes!

Asparagus Basil Saladprinter friendly
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and halved
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
1 cup sliced basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper

1.Steam asparagus for 5-7 minutes until fork tender
2.Place asparagus, tomatoes, avocado and basil in a large bowl
3.Stir in olive oil, lemon juice and mustard
4.Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5.Serve
I actually made a huge batch of this last weekend and ate it for breakfast and then had the rest for dinner with Turkey Burgers from my book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.

I am LOVING Mark Sisson's book The Primal Blueprint, the guy is a genius. And I am waiting for his next book to come out, which is the called, The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. If you haven't had a chance to look at Mark's site, marksdailyapple.com, head on over there and check it out. It is primal galore.

Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Lime Dip

This was inspired by a dish we had during a recent trip to Charlotte, NC. When we look for new places to eat we typically use Urban Spoon and read reviews–that’s how we found this place. I have to say, we were pretty disappointed. It was one of those places where the menu read better than the food actually was. One example: mussels steamed in beer with herbs and what-not. Thought it sounded interesting, it wasn’t, pretty gross, actually. We did have one thing, though not very good, we thought we could improve upon–bacon wrapped tater tots. So here you have it, our version:




Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries with Chipotle Lime Dip
Ingredients
◦2 sweet potatoes, cut into thick matchsticks*
◦1 package bacon, don’t use thick cut
◦1/2 c mayo, using avocado oil
◦1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce
◦1 lime, juiced
Method
Get your oven to 425°F. Soak the sweet potato matchsticks in a bowl of cold water for up to 6 hours. This removes a lot of the starch from the potato. When you remove the potatoes, you can visibly see white starch granules at the bottom of the bowl. Drain the water from the potatoes and pat dry.

Slice each piece of bacon in half, lengthwise. Wrap 1 strip of bacon around 1 matchstick sweet potato. Lay on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the bacon is gone. If you have left over sweet potatoes, toss ‘em on the pan too, they’ll cook beautifully in all the rendered bacon fat.

For the Dip
In a food processor, pulse up the chipotle(s) and lime juice into the mayo.

Bake the fries for about 25 minutes on one side. You’re looking for browned bacon. Use some tongs to flip the fries over and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until browned.

Squeeze some lime juice on the fries. Serve hot and with the dip.



*You want a thick cut (not thin!) and keep the skin on. Here’s a rough how-to:





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Coconut Flour Pancakes and Waffles

A recipe search for "paleo pancakes" is what led me to Marks Daily Apple for the first time last winter. Fairly new to the exciting world of grain-free baking, I had never even considered making grain-free pancakes or waffles. After a quick Google search, the first search result was a link to MDA. My first click into the world of Mark Sisson had me hooked. His website became my new obsession, and I gained much more knowledge of the paleo lifestyle through his website. The recipe I found for pancakes was one that used almond meal, and although they were delicious, they didn't quite make the pancake cut. They were more like yummy almond latkes. After a year of adventures in grain-free cooking, along with my favorite partner in crime (and love of my life, Bill), I decided on a second attempt at grain-free pancakes (plus waffles!), this time with coconut flour.

As an artist, I love creating art out of food. I visualize all that is going into the recipe, how it will look during cooking, and how I want it to look after. My desire for cooking is more targeted toward creating something I never knew I could create, rather than the final result of getting to eat it. A bonus to it all is making something that I know Bill will love, and his reaction to the food that I make is the icing on the cake. For this recipe, I knew we would create something beautiful, delicious, and I knew Bill would absolutely love it.

This is a simple recipe for waffles, or pancakes. The only difference in the two is that we added extra cinnamon to the waffles for a stronger cinnamon flavor. The topping for the waffles were simple sliced bananas sauteed in coconut oil, along with chopped pecans. The sweetness of the banana, along with the warm, sweet flavors of the pecans and maple syrup combined beautifully together. This was definitely a dessert breakfast, but for those of you missing the comfort of a warm waffle or pancake breakfast, this one is for you!


Waffles
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 dropper of liquid stevia

Process:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend all ingredients with a hand mixer.
2. Heat waffle iron to 'waffle' setting (seriously!) - its medium high heat, typically.
3. Drop batter into center of waffle iron to cover about 3/4 of area. This batter does not expand the way traditional flour waffles do.
4. Waffles are done when they easily separate from the waffle iron, typically 3-5 minutes.
   

recipe above makes just over 1 cluster of 4 waffles (10x10 waffle iron)

[Printer friendly recipe - click here]

Pancakes
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 dropper of liquid stevia
  

Process:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend all ingredients with a hand mixer.
2. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan or griddle to medium heat.
3. Pour 1/8 cup of batter into frying pan or griddle.
   
4. Cook for 2 minutes, flip, cook for 2 more minutes, repeat with the rest of the batter.

[Printer friendly recipe - click here]

Fried Banana and Toasted Pecan Topping
Ingredients:

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Process:

1. Heat coconut oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat.
2. Slice banana and add to frying pan.
3. Sear banana slices until brown and crispy on the bottom side, then flip.
4. Add pecans to frying pan and lightly toast with the seared banana slices.
5. Top over waffles or pancakes and serve.

We topped the waffles and pancakes with a drizzle of pure maple syrup. These protein packed waffles would be a wonderful treat to bring as breakfast in bed to your loved one come Valentines day, or as a breakfast treat for your grain-free little one. Anyway you'd like to serve them, you wont be disappointed.

As always, enjoy!

Chicken and Vegetable 'Lo Mein

Growing up one of my favorite dinners to have was Chinese food. It was usually a special occasion that we ordered Chinese, so it wasn't an indulgence that I had often. Bill is another lover of Chinese food, but his mom would frequently cook home made Chinese dinners for their family, so of course what he ate was a little healthier than ordering greasy Chinese from a restaurant. These days I cant stomach the idea of Chinese food, it's right up there with drive through and pizza, yuck.
Although heavy sauces and vegetable oil fried Chinese food is not something that Bill and I are interested in, we do however enjoy a fresh home made stir fry, with mouth watering Asian flavors.

Every once in a blue moon Bill creates a masterpiece in the kitchen, just kidding! Yes, more often than not I'm the head chef, but the recipe is never complete without agreement on both parts. For this particular recipe, Bill took the lead, and created a delicious Asian stir fry using sesame oil and coconut aminos. The flavors were outstanding! The added shredded cabbage gives the facade of noodles being in the dish, but enhances the texture beautifully with subtle crunch.

Ingredients:
Chicken or beef
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tablespoon minced Ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups broccoli
2 cups shredded cabbage
Toasted sesame oil
Coconut aminos
Sesame seeds to garnish
Process:
Clean all vegetables and trim fat from meat (if applicable).
Cut broccoli, chicken and mushrooms into bite sized pieces.
Thinly slice 2 cups of cabbage (about half the head of cabbage).
Chop almonds, green onion, celery; mince garlic and ginger.
Heat wok over high heat.
Add sesame oil, swirl to coat bottom of wok, then add meat.
Cook meat for 3-4 minutes, until mostly cooked.
Add in broccoli, water chestnuts, celery and shiitake mushrooms; cook for 2 minutes
Add in almonds, cabbage, ginger, green onion and garlic. Add a splash of coconut aminos (2-4 tbsp). Cook 2-3 minutes, until cabbage softens a little.
Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Pepper

Back when Balanced Bites was an organic meal delivery business, stuffed peppers were among the favorite dishes ordered by my clients. At that point in time, I was mixing a few different ingredients into them but I keep it pretty simple when I'm cooking at home for myself.

The inspiration and motivation to make stuffed peppers came about when I was strolling the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market this past Saturday and spotted a big yellow bell pepper that looked just perfect for this destiny. I knew I had a pound of grass-fed ground beef defrosted at home so it was excellent timing for me to whip up some stuffed peppers. The whole thing is quite simple, really... it's just a matter of pre-cooking the pepper halves a bit if you like and then making a tasty mixture that you'll like to put on the inside, and voila - stuffed peppers. I can't say I make them exactly the same every single time since I usually just go with whatever I have on-hand, but here's what I did this time.



Italian Style Stuffed Bell Peppers


Ingredients

2 bell peppers
(I used yellow but any color is fine)
1 Tbsp bacon grease or coconut oil
1/2 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
4 small tomatoes, diced
(or use 1/2c canned diced tomatoes)
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
(or lean conventional ground beef / ground turkey)
6 Fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2c Baby spinach, finely chopped
sea salt - to taste
black pepper - to taste
hot sauce - optional, as garnish
extra basil leaves garnish


Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375.


Halve the bell peppers and place them in a roasting dish face-down for about 10-15 minutes. Note: You can skip this step if you want to keep the peppers more firm/raw when you eat them.



FYI: The Paleo Diet
Cookbook is now
available for pre-order.
While the peppers are pre-cooking, you'll cook the stuffing on the stove-top. Use a large sautee pan or a large pot. I'd recommend not using cast iron for this recipe since we're cooking tomatoes and the acid of the tomatoes will react with the cast iron.


Place your bacon grease or coconut oil in the pan and then cook the onions over medium-high heat until they're slightly browned on the edges and appear cooked through (translucent). You may season them with salt and pepper to taste.

Next add the tomatoes and garlic and allow the ingredients to simmer together for a couple of minutes. Then add the ground beef or turkey, breaking it up and allowing it to cook through completely. If you have grass-fed beef, you may leave it a bit pink.

Once the meat is cooked, taste the mixture to check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Then add the chopped basil and spinach and mix them in just allowing them to wilt.


Mark Sisson's cookbook
seems to be quite popular
if you're looking for recipes.
Remove the peppers from the oven when they're just a bit softened, then flip them over and spoon in your stuffing mixture. If you would like to eat them at this point, you can go right ahead. Otherwise, place them back into the oven for around 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld even more. I like to make a bunch of these ahead and either freeze them or just refrigerate them to heat up in my toaster oven later.


I also like to sprinkle a few dashes of hot sauce over the top and garnish them with basil leaves, just for visual appeal.

Depending on the size of your peppers, this will make approximately 4 pepper halves and will be around 4oz of protein in each one. One or two of these is a complete meal depending on how much you eat.

Breakfast Buritto

We have had a fewpeople come to us asking for more breakfast options. Yes, our classic veggie scramble is delicious, hard boiled eggs are quick and easy, you can't go wrong with egg muffins, and who doesn't like classic bacon and eggs? With any way of eating, it is easy to get bored if you are eating the same thing over and over. One of our goals with this blog is to keep healthy eating fresh and exciting by offering many meal options to keep you all inspired to continue to make healthy choices with your eating.

The great thing about primal eating is that more often than not Bill and I don't even realize we are hungry until lunch time, so getting bored with the same breakfast doesn't happen often for us. However, we are constantly on the hunt for exciting breakfast ideas. After Bill made his delicious taco recipe the other night, I immediately had a breakfast idea that I thought would be fantastic. My thought was to make a crepe style egg tortilla, and fill it with our tasty taco ground turkey, top it with guacamole, wrap it all up in the egg tortilla, and drizzle some hot sauce on it. Mmmm delicious.
This was our first attempt at making a tortilla out of an egg. It was surprisingly very easy, and held up just fine for the meal. For this dish we used free range liquid egg whites from Trader Joe's, but feel free to use whole omega 3 eggs. Both options would be fantastic.

Ingredients:

Homestyle taco meat (Just the seasoned ground turkey. Grass fed beef is great too, if you prefer red meat.)

Guacamole (Brock's Guac')1/3 cup free range liquid egg white, or 2 whole omega 3 eggs whisked
Hot sauce - (Franks Red Hot is fine, or you can grab any organic hot sauce that your taste buds desire. Just be sure to check the ingredients, sometimes sugar sneaks in there.)
Process:
Brown ground turkey or beef in a skillet, and season with our homemade taco seasoning.
Grease a frying pan with cooking spray, or coconut oil.
Pour egg into frying pan on medium low heat, and allow egg to cook all the way through.
Carefully remove egg from frying pan and place on a plate.
Scoop ground taco meat onto egg tortilla, and top with Brock's Guac'.
Drizzle with hot sauce if desired. Wrap up the burrito and enjoy!

Seafood “Who Needs Rice” Jambalaya

Here is a great soup recipe that has become Carlos and I's "go to" food. I could literally eat this every day of the week.

Seafood “Who Needs Rice” Jambalaya

1 lb wild Alaskan cod fillets (or other wild caught fish of your choice)

1 16 ounce bag of frozen already cooked shrimp (thawed and drained)

2 cups chicken broth

1 green bell pepper cut into strips

1 orange bell pepper cut into strips

1 red bell pepper cut into strips

4-5 carrots cut into strips

a pinch or two of sea salt

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

4 cloves of minced fresh garlic

1/4 cup organic butter or ghee

a lot or a little Tapatio hot sauce

Make sure your fish and shrimp are thawed and drained. I like to pat the fish and shrimp dry with a paper towel, it will have a better texture after cooking if you do this. Cut the fish into bite size pieces. Melt butter in a large soup pot and saute carrots for about 4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and garlic and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Add all the spices and the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Throw in the fish and simmer until the fish begins to flake and then add the shrimp and stir just until the shrimp are warm. Dowse with Tapatio and stir. If you are using fresh shrimp throw in with the fish and cook for about the same amount of time together. Serve in bowls immediately. Add more hot sauce of desired.

Enjoy

Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Egg Salad

So tasty for breakfast or lunch! Try and eat directly after preparing as the bacon and sweet potatoes will be fresh.
I make this times 4 and it eat when I need a quick something. Yum!

Ingredients
2/3 cup diced sweet potato 
2 eggs 
2 rashes of bacon, diced using meat only 
1tbs oil 
4tbs dill, finely chopped 
2tbs mayonnaise 
2tbs lemon juice 
Instructions
Boil eggs in water until cooked. Peel and dice. 
Boil sweet potato for 4-5 minutes 
Heat over skillet medium-high. Add olive oil and bacon and cook until slightly crunchy.
In a small bowl, mix dill, mayonnaise and lemon juice. 
Place eggs, sweet potato, bacon and mayonnaise sauce into a medium size serving bowl and combine well.

If you aren’t a dill fan it tastes great with thyme. 
Recipe is from www.paleoplan.com
They have a lot of great recipies.

Grilled Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa

Grilled Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa

Here is a quick and easy dinner that you can make right on the grill.

Ingredients

1 lb flank steak, preferably grassfed

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp chipotle powder

4 slices of pineapple or pineapple rings

1 1/4 C chopped red bell peppers

1/2 C chopped red onion

1/4 C chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp lime juice

Instructions

Prepare the grill. (you can broil this in a pan as well)

mix oil and chipotle powder in a small dish.

Brush onto both sides of the steak, then grill for around 5 minutes on one side. (or 3 minutes under the broiler)

Flip and continue to grill for around 3 minutes more. (or about 2 minutes under the broiler)

Remove to a plate and cover for 10 minutes.

Grill the pineapple rings for 2-3 minutes per side.

Cute the pineapple into small chunks and place in a bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Slice the steak thinly, serve with the salsa.

Serves 4

Simple, Perfect Paleo Chili

This chili was a huge hit at my house! I couldn’t stop eating it! It’s really easy, but give yourself an hour or so to let it simmer and the flavor develop!

2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds ground beef or turkey or chicken (or any combo)
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1-2 jalapenos, diced (optional)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 48-ounce can crushed tomatoes (you can also use tomato sauce or diced tomatoes)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a dutch oven or other large pot over high heat

2. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute until starting to brown. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 min. being careful to not let it burn.

3. Add the meat and cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Drain off some of the excess fat.

5. Pour in the tomatoes and stir.

6. Add the spices and a little more salt and pepper.

7. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 45 min. to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If it becomes too dry, add water a little at a time until you get your desired consistency.

8. Adjust seasonings and serve…hoping to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

P.S. I served this over oven roasted spagetti squash. Yum! Yum

Green Chili Turkey Burgers with Guacamole in Lettuce Wraps

Here is a fantastic dinner that is really easy and the whole family will love. It is originally from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook and I took it and adapted it from Elanaspantry.com

Green Chili Turkey Burgers with Guacamole in Lettuce Wraps

2 medium-large fresh peppers, diced or 2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles
2 pounds ground turkey, (separated into equal parts or 2/3 to 1/3 if you have picky kids)
1 cup cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
½ cup onion, finely chopped
3 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. In a medium sized bowl mix diced chiles with turkey,most of the cilantro (if using), 1/3 cup of the onion, cumin, chili powder and salt
2. In another mixing bowl, mix the other 1/3 of the turkey, the rest of the onion, a little cilantro and a couple pinches of salt. (this one is for the kids because mine wouldn’t touch the first one)
3. Form into burgers and grill
4. Serve with guacamole and lettuce wraps
5. For the kids, I put some cheese on top and served them on their favorite sandwich bread (with crusts cut off). They scarfed!!

Guacamole

1/3 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. celtic sea salt

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together and serve with turkey burgers.

Stuffed Squash

Check out this recipe on the Crossfit LA website. It looks and sounds delicious. I’m going to try it this week!  -Stacy


What you'll need:
4 sweet dumpling squash
1 package ground beef- about a pound
1 onion chopped
1/4 c chopped dried cranberries
1/3 c chopped dried apricots
1/4 c chopped pecans
1 t thyme
1 t oregano
salt, pepper and olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Chop tops of squashes and scoop out seeds, place in baking dish and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil- place tops next to squash while baking
Bake in oven for 20 minutes 
While squash is baking saute onions for a few minutes and add ground beef, apricots, cranberries, pecans and seasoning. Do not fully cook mixture.
Remove squash from oven, stuff with ground beef mixture and put back in the oven ( you could pre-cook squash a day ahead, just need to cook a little longer to fully heat it when stuffed.)
Bake in oven for another 15-20 minutes(this depend on the size of your sweet dumpling squash) tops should be slightly browned and toasty, you will have a little extra meat depending on the size of your squash! save for another or stuff something else!

Done!

Pumpkin Muffins

These are good.  Stacy, I think you should “Mess” with this a little though.  Just a “touch” dry and not a whole lot of pumpkin flavor

1/2 c almond flour (I added another 1-2T to make it a bit thicker)

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 c canned pumpkin (I used TJ’s Organic Pumpkin)

1 banana

1 c dates

4 t cinnamon

1/4 t cloves

1/4 t allspice

3 eggs

1 t vanilla

2 T almond butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line muffin tray with 18 muffin cups.

2. Mix almond flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In a food processor, combine the remaining ingredients and puree.

4. Transfer into a bowl and stir in almond flour mixture.

5. Spoon into muffin cups until 1/2 full.

6. Bake 18 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on rack for 20 minutes