Soooooooo

Some of you may or may not know that I am a changed lady when it comes to the food I eat. Not that I was TOO unhealthy before, but now I have really changed my ways. It all started back in November...Yes don't ever try this right before the holidays (stupid stupid women). I decided I wanted to make a real change and go off some (a lot) of the foods I was eating. So I started a 6 week food allergy cleanse. After I completed the cleanse I just wanted to keep on going with it, and I have since last November.

I have had several people ask me what it is am, and am not eating, so to make matters more complicated I will write it out in  columns.

Foods I avoid
refined sugar
bread, or anything containing gluten basically
dairy (with the exception of our yummy back yard eggs)
most processed foods

Foods I eat almost daily
- eggs
- quinoa
- fruit
- brussel sprouts (holy COW I am so in love with this delectable veggie)!!
- yams
- beef from our grass fed cow ( ok I eat this twice a week)
- chicken sausage at breakfast. If you have not tried Amylu's brand with Jalapeno & mango..... your really REALLY missing out.
- salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil
- lots of nuts
- avocados (with my eggs every morning)
- olive oil
- stove top popcorn with real salt and coconut oil (every night, I get a case of the munchies) 

Anyway you get the idea right? I will say this however regarding dairy.....I think dairy is very very good for you IF you can get it with out all the crap that usually comes with it. We buy unpasteurized cow's milk from a local dairy here in Utah. The cows they raise have a healthy lifestyle, there for the milk they produce is healthy and yes safe. So I occasionally have a glass of raw milk to get my calcium. I find it to be very expensive buying dairy products that are with out all the crap, so I have instead just gone with out for the most part. I substitute mostly using coconut milk, witch by the way when mixed with a little agave and cocoa powder makes a BEYOND heavenly ice-cream!  Agave seems to be my sweetener of choice, I also like rapadura.

Anyway the awesome benefit to eating this way is of course weight loss, which I have very much befitted from, and continue to. Of course I did just have a baby so I had lots of pounds to spare. Your body just feels, and works so much better. Eating no sugar is or course always the best way to go, but when you get a sweet tooth I happen to have what you need...Oh yes yes I do! :) which brings me to....

Gluten Free Almond Pear Cake

Let me just tell you (before you turn your nose up), this cake is soooo moist and delicious, it's almost like a custard. I found this cake HERE  however I made a few modifications.

Ingredients

4 ripe but firm pears– use divided
1 cups plus 2 teaspoons agave – use divided
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
3¼ cups finely ground blanched almond meal
8 large eggs
1¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract – use divided
1 tsp almond extract
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
1 tablespoon grapeseed (or other neutral tasting) oil .......I used olive oil
½ cup sliced almonds
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a  9x13 cake pan with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray (I used coconut oil).

Peel and core the pears. Chop three of the pears roughly and slice the fourth into about ¼ inch slices. Take the chopped pears and cook on the stove for 10 minutes with orange juice and the 2tsp agave over medium heat in a covered saucepan. Mash the pears into a coarse puree with a fork or wooden spoon. Let cool.

Put the almond meal salt, and 1 cup of agave in a food processor and give it 4 or 5 long pulses. Add the eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the cooked pears and puree the mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.

In a small skillet, heat the agave or honey with the oil, stirring to mix until the mixture starts to bubble. Take off the heat and stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon of vanilla. Add the pear slices and toss gently to coat.

Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top of the cake. Add the pear slices in a spoke configuration and spoon the agave or honey/oil mixture over the top of the cake.

Bake for 45 – 55 minutes or until the cake is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check the cake after about 35 minutes, if it browning too much, place a piece of foil over the top.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove the sides of the pan and transfer to a serving platter (removing the parchment is optional but recommended). The cake is best served slightly warm (total lie, so good cold out of the fridge) hmmmmmm.

MAKE THIS!! Seriously, it is amazing!