Week 3 of the real food challange

Week 3 menu

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Sunday Jan 15	Apple cinnamon oatmeal Hot tea	Misc. leftovers to clean out fridge & pears milk	Salmon and asparagus pasta Salad water	Hard boiled egg water
Monday Jan 16	Sprouted bagel with cream cheese Egg Hot tea & orange juice	Egg salad with little toasts Fruit salad (apple, blueberry, banana & raisins in yogurt) Trail mix milk	Whole chicken in crock pot Green beans Butternut squash water	Yogurt with berry sauce water
Tuesday Jan 17	Plain yogurt with granola topped with blueberries Hot tea	Pizza “lunchable” Carrot sticks Grapes water	Whole grain mac’n’cheese (double recipe) salad milk	Banana with peanut butter juice
Wednesday Jan 18	Spinach, mushroom and cheese omelet and sprouted multigrain toast with coconut spread Hot tea	Leftover whole grain mac’n’cheese Sliced pear Broccoli c ranch dip water	Chicken (leftover) stir fry milk	Hardboiled egg Cheese slice milk
Thursday Jan 19	Oat n chia breakfast cereal Green tea	Peanut butter and fruit sandwiches Hard boiled egg Carrot sticks milk	Shrimp, bell pepper, mushroom, tomato pasta, season as desired water	¼ cup rice & 1/3 cup milk with cinnamon and stevia water
Friday Jan 20	Yogurt and granola Hot tea	Leftover frozen chili in thermos Pear slices Tortilla chips water	Ground beef tacos Seasoned beans Rice water	Popcorn milk
Saturday Jan 21	Eggs with sprouted toast milk	Grilled cheese and tomato soup water	Shrimp, broccoli and brown rice milk	Chewy granola bar water

Week 3 recipes

Salmon and asparagus pasta:

Whole grain linguine

1 Tbs olive oil

2 salmon fillets

1 bunch asparagus, chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup white wine

1 Tbs corn starch

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking , heat olive oil over med heat, add salmon and cook through, add asparagus and garlic, sauté approx. 5 minutes, add chicken broth. In a small bowl combine white wine and corn starch, whisk out lumps then add to salmon mixture. Drain pasta and add to salmon mixture, stir to coat, salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Egg Salad:

5 hardboiled eggs, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 Tbs mayonnaise

1 tsp mustard

¼ tsp dried dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and store in fridge till ready to use.

Trail mix:

Unsalted raw peanuts

Raw pumpkin seeds

Dried shaved unsweetened coconut

Raw almonds

Raisins

Raw sunflower seeds

Sun drops (like m&m’s, but naturally colored)

Mix all ingredients in a quart jar in the amounts to your liking. Can use any combination of different nuts, and dried fruits etc.

Whole Chicken in a crockpot (from www.100daysofrealfood.com):

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 large chicken

Directions

1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Butternut squash:

1 butternut squash

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs pure maple syrup

¼ tsp salt

Cut squash in half and roast; cut side down in preheated 350⁰F oven in a shallow pan with 1” of water for 45 min. or until nice and tender. Remove seeds with spoon and scoop all squash out of skin into a bowl, stir in other ingredients mashing squash as you stir.

Whole wheat pizza crust (for pizza lunchables, from www.100daysofrealfood.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp yeast (active dry yeast)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3c whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur organic white whole-wheat flour)
• cooking oil spray

Directions

1. Drop the yeast into the 1-cup of warm water and let it go to work for a few minutes. It should foam up a little bit. Stir the salt and olive oil into the yeast mixture.
2. Pour the flour and yeast mixture into a food processor with a dough blade or a mixer with a dough hook and turn on the machine. (You can also mix up this dough by hand.)
3. You should end up with a ball chasing itself around the food processor. If the dough is too dry add warm water a teaspoon at a time and if it is too wet add flour 1 teaspoon at a time.
4. Remove the ball from your food processor and knead into a smooth ball. Put the dough into a large ziplock bag or bowl covered with plastic wrap (put a touch of olive oil in and coat the inside of the bag/bowl first) then leave it in fridge for as little as 1 hour or overnight depending on how much time you have. It will rise on it’s own in the fridge.
5. When ready to make the pizza preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into the desired shape (don’t make it too thin!). Put the flat pizza dough on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Bake in a oven for about 8 – 10 min. or until crust is golden brown.

Whole Grain Mac’n’cheese: (from www.100daysofrealfood.com)

Yield: 3 – 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 – 1 ½ cups of dried whole grain pasta of choice (macaroni, shells etc), boiled according to package directions
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup grated cheese (you can use any type of cheese…we usually use sharp white cheddar or a mix of different cheeses works well too)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional topping: grated parmesan cheese or whole-wheat breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about 1 minute until the roux (which is equal parts flour and butter or oil) starts to darken, but does not burn.
3. Quickly whisk in the milk and turn down the heat to low. Keep whisking until any lumps of flour dissolve.
4. Stir in the cheese and once it melts add the cooked noodles. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Oat’n’chia breakfast cereal:

2/3 cup rolled oats

 2 cup dairy or non-dairy milk (I like almond milk)

 1 cup water, pinch of salt

2 Tbs chia seeds, 1 Tbs hemp seeds

 1 large apple grated to a pulp

 handful of blueberries (fresh or frozen)

 maple syrup to serve

Add oats, milk, water, chia seeds, hemp seeds, salt and apple pulp to a small pot.

Bring to a simmer and allow to gently bubble for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Add blueberries toward end and stir through.

Transfer cooked oats to a warm bowl, drizzle with maple syrup to serve if desired

Tomato soup:

·         4 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes

·         1 slice onion, diced

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         2 cups chicken broth

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon basil

Directions

1.       In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors.

In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with basil and salt, and adjust to taste

Chewy granola bar:

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 cups miniature dark chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch pan.

2.       In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey and applesauce. Stir in the 2 cups assorted chocolate chips, raisins, nuts etc.

3.       Firmly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving

Week 2 of the real food challenge

Week one went great, we stuck to our meal plan and we kept our spending on track (well, almost), we spent a total of $120.19, but i think we will be making up for that this week, since last week i had to buy a few basics we had run out of, like blackstrap molases (that I take each day to keep iron levels up), and maple syrup, dang that stuff is expensive! I also had purchased some extra veggies for the juicer since I was trying to improve my blood expansion to keep this baby healthy...can't have anything getting in my way of another home birth!

There are a couple of changes we are making to our next week’s real food challenge. We are no longer using agave nectar as a sweetener, since although it is “natural” my research has found it to be a highly processed and refined sweetener. I also am personally adding some extra high protein snacks into my diet over what the family is eating due to my pregnancy and maintaining optimal blood volume for the baby and myself, but these snacks are not listed in the meal plan.

Also, there are less recipes this week, so I didn’t divide them into  separate days, although they do still go in order as to what is on the meal plan.

I will not be reposting recipes, so if there is an identical or similar recipe on week 2 that was in week one…no need to repost it. Such as this week’s oatmeal with cinnamon and raisin; I will prepare the oatmeal the same as last week with the addition of a diced peeled apple being cooked in with the oats.

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Sunday Jan 8	Apple cinnamon oatmeal Hot tea	Grilled cheese on sprouted multigrain bread and homemade tomato soup  milk	Grilled Alaskan salmon fillets, asparagus, roasted potatoes Milk Put beans in crock pot	1 orange and ¼ cup nuts water
Monday Jan 9	Poached eggs and sprouted multigrain toast with coconut spread Hot tea & orange juice	Tuna salad, triscuits, grapes & sliced apples with yogurt dip milk	Bean tacos with Monterey jack cheese, cilantro and sour cream, and kale chips Milk (save some pinto beans for chili before mashing)	Yogurt with berry sauce
Tuesday Jan 10	Granola topped with blueberries and milk Hot tea	Turkey sandwich, tortilla chips, carrot sticks water	Roasted chicken thighs, wild rice, steamed broccoli milk	Breakfast toast with peanut butter juice
Wednesday Jan 11	Spinach and cheese omelet and sprouted multigrain toast with coconut spread Hot tea	Whole grain mac n cheese Salad water	Chili and whole grain corn bread, sliced pears milk	Hardboiled egg Cheese slice milk
Thursday Jan 12	Oat n chia breakfast cereal Green tea	Turkey and cheese roll up, broccoli and carrot sticks dipped in ranch dip, grapes milk	Black bean burritos, salad, brown rice water	¼ cup rice & 1/3 cup milk with cinnamon and stevia water
Friday Jan 13	Yogurt and granola Hot tea	Mini veggie pizzas water	Out to dinner and a movie for Siena’s Birthday party	Popcorn milk
Saturday Jan 14	Raspberry Oat muffins milk	Chicken nuggets dipped in homemade BBQ sauce, green beans, orange slices water	Chicken pot pies (with leftover chicken) Baked apples milk	Cottage cheese, diced tomato and avocado Topped fresh ground pepper water

Again, I will add in photos of as many of the recipes as I remember to photograph as I make them, so check back often for those if you are interested!

Week 2 Recipes

Berry sauce

Fruit or berries of your choice, fresh or frozen (blueberries, strawberries, mixed berries, peaches, etc)

1 Tbs maple syrup, or honey

Heat fruit on stove until soft, add in sweetener, stir. Pour into blender and blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator.

Tomato soup

• 4 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
• 1 slice onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon basil

Directions

1.      In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors.

2.      In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with basil and salt, and adjust to taste.

Breakfast toast

2 ¼ cups filtered water

1 cup whole flaxseed

1 cup buckwheat groats

¼ tsp sea salt

2/3 cup sesame seeds

½ cup raisins

1/3 cup goji berries

Combine the water, flaxseed, buckwheat, and salt in a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the sesame seeds, raisins, and goji berries and mix well.  Set aside for 20 minutes, until the mixture becomes gelatinous from the flaxseed; this helps the ingredients bind together into a dough.

                Evenly spread a layer of dough about ¼- 1/3-inch thick onto a 14 by 14-inch dehydrator tray lined with parchment paper. The dough should fill the entire tray. Dehydrate at 104⁰F for 3-4 hours, or until firm enough to flip over. Flip, peel off the paper and score into 9 slices to make it easier to break into straight lines later.

                Dehydrate for 5-6 hours longer or until desired texture. The drier the toast is the crispier the crust, chewier the raisins, and the longer it will keep. If less dehydrated, it will be more pliable, and should be eaten within a few days, stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

When completely dry, the toast will keep for a couple of weeks or more, as long as it stays dry. Store in a paper bag.

Whole-Grain Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 – 1 ½ cups of dried whole-grain pasta, boiled according to package directions
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup grated cheese (you can use any type of cheese…we usually use cheddar or a mix of different cheeses works well too)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional topping: grated parmesan cheese or whole-wheat breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the flour and keep whisking for about 1 minute until the roux (which is equal parts flour and butter or oil) starts to darken, but does not burn.
3. Quickly whisk in the milk and turn down the heat to low. Keep whisking until any lumps of flour dissolve.
4. Stir in the cheese and once it melts add the cooked noodles. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve immediately and enjoy! (Ella wanted peas in her mac'n'cheese this time.)

Yield: 3 – 4 servings

Chili

½ lb ground beef

1 small onion diced

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can tomatoes, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

In a stock pot brown beef, drain, add onion and sauté for a minute. Add all other ingredients and let simmer for about 30 minutes to blend flavors. Meanwhile prepare whole grain cornbread

Whole-Grain Cornbread (from www.100daysofrealfood.com)

Yield: 6 – 8 side servings

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup whole grain corn meal, preferably organic (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup corn kernels (I used unthawed frozen ones)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour together with corn meal, baking powder and salt.
3. In a small pan over medium heat melt the butter. Whisk in 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour and keep whisking until it begins to brown. Add the frozen corn kernels and let thaw in pan for a minute. Pour in heavy cream and whisk entire mixture together until it thickens (should only take a couple minutes). Mix in tablespoon of maple syrup and remove from heat.
4. Add creamed corn mixture, eggs, sour cream and grated cheese to dry flour mixture. Blend together well without overmixing.
5. Pour batter into a square or round glass baking dish.

Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Ranch Dip (from www.100daysofrealfood.com)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• Sour cream, for serving

Directions

1. Mix together the first six ingredients down to the pepper. Store in an airtight container.
2. When you are ready to make the dip stir 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture together with ½ cup sour cream. Serve with fresh sliced veggies or whole-wheat pretzels.
3. Save the remaining dry spice mixture in spice cabinet or pantry for another day.

Note: since we use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, we use plain Greek yogurt in this recipe as well.

Black Bean Burritos

This is my husband’s all time favorite!

8 7-8 inch flour tortillas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp bottled minced jalapeno peppers

2 16 oz cans black beans, drained

4 oz cream cheese

½ tsp salt

Cilantro leaves

Wrap tortillas in foil. Place in oven and turn heat to 350⁰F. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile heat oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper,  garlic and jalapenos in skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to skillet with salt. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop ¼ cup cilantro leaves and stir into mixture. Spoon mixture evenly down center of warmed tortillas, fold one end of tortilla over filling and roll up.

Whole-Wheat Pizza (from www.100daysofrealfood.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp yeast (active dry yeast)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3c whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur organic white whole-wheat flour)
• tomato sauce
• grated mozzarella cheese
• cooking oil spray
• other desired toppings such as sausage, mushrooms, vegetables, Parmesan cheese, etc.

Directions

1. Drop the yeast into the 1-cup of warm water and let it go to work for a few minutes. It should foam up a little bit. Stir the salt and olive oil into the yeast mixture.
2. Pour the flour and yeast mixture into a food processor with a dough blade or a mixer with a dough hook and turn on the machine. (You can also mix up this dough by hand.)
3. You should end up with a ball chasing itself around the food processor. If the dough is too dry add warm water a teaspoon at a time and if it is too wet add flour 1 teaspoon at a time.
4. Remove the ball from your food processor and knead into a smooth ball. Put the dough into a large ziplock bag or bowl covered with plastic wrap (put a touch of olive oil in and coat the inside of the bag/bowl first) then leave it in fridge for as little as 1 hour or overnight depending on how much time you have. It will rise on it’s own in the fridge.
5. When ready to make the pizza preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into the desired shape (don’t make it too thin!). Put the flat pizza dough on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Top the dough with homemade or organic tomato sauce, cheese and other toppings of your choice. Bake in a oven for about 8 – 10 min. or until crust and cheese are golden brown.

For our mini pizzas I make ~4-6 inch size pizzas, and have bowls of cheese & different veggies (whatever we have on hand, spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini etc) in bowl and after I spread a little tomato sauce on each pizza I let each child top their own, it’s amazing how much veggies they load onto their pizzas and then they actually eat it!

I also have started doing like she suggests on her blog, to make some extra pizza dough and bake it plain, then slice it and freeze it and use those for homemade pizza lunchables to pack for the kids school lunches, here’s the link for that with other great ideas: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/01/06/real-food-school-lunches-ii/

Raspberry Oat muffins

½ cup rolled oats

1 cup buttermilk

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour

2 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

     1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg

2/3 cup honey

¼ cup coconut oil

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, not thawed

In one bowl combine oats and buttermilk, set aside. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

In your mixer beat the egg, stir in honey and oil. Stir in oat mixture, then flour. Gently fold in fruit.

Bake at 375⁰F for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Nuggets

4 chicken breast cut into “nuggets” (only cut up 3, the 4^th will be diced up in tonight’s dinner)

Whole wheat panko bread crumbs

1 egg

Coconut oil for pan-frying

Dip chicken in egg, then dip in bread crumbs to coat, pan fry till cooked through. Serve with dip of choice (my kids like BBQ sauce)

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup organic ketchup or tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.      In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, mustard powder, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat .

Chicken pot pies

Whole wheat pie crust (for my family I double this recipe)

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ tsp sea salt

1/3 cup Palm Shortening, or butter

4-5 Tbs cold water

Place flour, salt and shortening in food processor. Blend until shortening is cut throughout the flour and the mixture resembles crumbs

Begin adding water and processing

Add little bits of water until dough forms a mice round ball

To prepare the pot pies

1 chicken breast diced and cooked (saved from lunch’s chicken breast)

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

2 potatoes diced

2 cups chicken gravy (made from 2 cups chicken stock and 1 Tbs corn starch, or 2 Tbs flour)

6 larger ramekins

Roll out 12 rounds of dough and place 6 into ramekins. Mix, chicken, veggies, potatoes, and gravy in a large bowl. Fill pastry lined ramekins and cover each with remaining 6 dough rounds and pinch along edges like a pie. Bake on 350⁰F oven for 35-40 minutes.

Baked Apples

6 apples cored and sliced

¼ cup honey

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup whole milk

1.      Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

2.      Place apples in a large bowl. Add in honey, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir until evenly mixed around apples. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Spoon into prepared dish. Pour milk evenly over apple mixture.

3.      Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until soft and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

I just leave the oven on from the pot pies. While the pot pies are baking, I prepare the baked apples so they are ready to put into the oven when we sit down for dinner. That way they are just about ready after we get dinner all cleaned up and our tummies have settled a little and have room for yummy dessert!

Below is another recipe from www.100daysofrealfood.com. It is not listed on the meal plan, but is something I like to have on hand for when I want to surprise the kids with dessert. With this recipe you can have your cake and eat it too!! Even my pickiest eater thinks she is eating “junk” food it is so yummy!

Chocolate Torte with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce

Torte

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 cup dried pitted dates
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened powdered 100% cacao (I recommend Hershey’s brand “Special Dark” 100% Cacao as opposed to 100% cocoa)
• 1 – 2 teaspoons water, as needed

Using a frying pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat and then add the pecans. Pour in the honey and cook until the nuts are very slightly browned, 3 – 5 minutes. Be very careful not to overcook the nuts because they can go from perfect to burnt very quickly. Once the pecans are done blend them in a food processor with the dates and cacao. Add 1 – 2 teaspoons of water or just enough until it starts to stick together a little. Take the chocolate mixture into your hands and pat it out flat onto a cutting board or counter until it is about ½” thick. Using a round cookie cutter or drinking glass turned upside down cut out circular shapes for the tortes. Alternately you can roll the chocolate mixture into little ball shapes and keep them in your fridge for whenever you need something chocolate! (PS – For coconut lovers you can also roll the balls in unsweetened coconut for added flavor).

Whipped Cream

• ½ cup whipping or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon 100% pure maple syrup (optional)

Using an electric mixer whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Whip in the maple syrup if sweetness is desired. Yes, it is that easy.

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 tablespoon unsweetened powdered 100% cacao
• 2 tablespoons 100% pure maple syrup

Simply blend the powdered cacao and maple syrup with a spoon until the mixture looks wet. It might take a few minutes to achieve the right consistency.

Yield: Makes about 4 tortes