California hamburgers

We often eat our burgers with lettuce wraps (just like the protein style burger at In-N-Out, which by the way if you are in California and have food allergies, you can ask to be plain and "allergy burger" so they are more cautious). Sometimes we eat burgers also with just a salad or with with a side of broccoli but every now and then I make buns which makes the kids especially so happy. I make them to be honest mostly just to hear them say things like: "You make the best hamburger buns in the whole world!" The kids say these paleo (and AIP) buns are the best ever. I have had even non-paleo kids say that they are really good.

Instead of fries I often serve some kind of veggie side. Or serve the veggies as an appetizer as I learnt from my friend. I have noticed if I put the veggies as a side, the kids may leave them on the plate and just eat the burger but if I serve the veggies as an appetizer when they are at their hungriest, before giving the main course, the veggies might disappear quickly. This time the appetizer/side was steamed broccoli with lemon juice from our own lemons. The avocado in the burger adds creaminess without any sauces.

California burgers for four with a side of lemony broccoli 

1 lb ground beef
Herbamare or salt
1 tbsp tallow or other cooking fat for frying
broccoli
half a lemon
olive oil
avocado
lettuce
3 ripe (yellow) plantains or around 4 ripe burro bananas
1 cup arrowroot starch
1/3-1/2 cup water
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tsp salt

1. Set your oven to 350F.
2. Prepare the batter for the buns: Peel plantains and chop them. Add everything to the blender: the plantains, 1 cup arrowroot starch, 1/3-1/2 cups water (add first the smaller amount but increase if the blender can't mix it), 1 tsp salt and 1/4 cup of avocado oil (you could replace some of this with water). Scoop eight pancake size piles of batter, for instance with the 1/3 cup measuring cup, on 1-2 parchment paper lined cookie sheets or jelly roll pans. Leave some space between as they may spread a little. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.
3. Steam broccoli now so you can serve it as appetizers. Steam in a steamer pot until the fork just goes through, don't let them become mushy. Add a capful of olive oil, sprinkle some Herbamare on them and squeeze half a lemon on them as well.
4. Heat some tallow on medium heat in a cast iron pan (you could also grill the burgers!). Share the pound of ground meat in four pieces, form burgers, salt with Herbamare and fry from both sides until cooked.
5. Cut some avocado slices and get some lettuce from the garden (or your fridge :)) to go with the burgers.

Super easy creamy chicken in the oven (AIP, paleo, dairy free, grainfree, gluten free)

This dish has almost a blue cheesy taste although it is dairy free! This food was so good that we were nearly fighting for the last bits. You have to try it, I am telling you! I created the dish kind of accidentally while we were staying in a cabin in the national forest in Finland. We were jetlaggy, tired, needed a dinner quickly and these were the only ingredients I had at hand. I had packed the creamed coconut in my suit case to use in place of milk in cooking. It keeps well, doesn't need refrigeration and I often bring some camping too. Now that I think of it, this would be perfect camp food. It could be prepared ahead of time in bags of foil and just be put on the campfire at dinner time. We are going camping for my birthday this week on the beach, guess what my birthday dinner will be?!

Easypeasy creamy chicken in the oven

2 lbs chicken thighs or breast, cut in strips
small bunch of spinach, chopped roughly (other greens would work too)
1 package of mushrooms, cut in half or quarters
1 package of creamed coconut (I use this one) (half a package might be enough but I used the whole thing)
1/2 lb of bacon (AIP friendly bacon available at US Wellness meats), cut in small pieces
a clove of garlic
salt to taste
coconut oil to grease the pan
A splash or two of water, white wine or broth in addition if the dish feels very dry as you are mixing it, I added some just in case

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Grease an oven pan with coconut oil.
3. Mix all ingredients in the pan. If the creamed coconut is solid, you can crumble it. The crumbles give the dish actually a cheesy feel. Use a garlic press to mince the garlic.
4. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked. Keep an eye so it doesn't burn from the top and add water or broth or wine and mix if needed.
5. Serve with salad. (Would be very nice with some gluten free noodles or boiled potatoes too if the dish doesn't have to be AIP friendly!)

TIP: If you don't want to use oven in the heat of the summer, you can just as well sautee the dish in a pan or a pot.

More AIP friendly recipes

Pineapple Dessert

I came up with this dessert when I cooked Shrimp Pineapple Fajitas and had so much pineapple that it seemed like too much for the main course. I just saved some of the fried pineapple but you can also prepare them separately.

Pineapple Dessert (paleo, AIP)

Serves 4

A third or half of a pineapple cut in bite sized pieces

Coconut oil

Balsamic vinegar

Mint leaves (I like to use small apple mint leaves)

Maple syrup (optional)

1. Fry the pineapples in coconut oil in a cast iron pan and when they have got some color, drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar on them and toss a minute or two more to caramelize them.
2. Arrange in serving bowls and if you wish drizzle just a hint of maple syrup on them.
3. Pour some cold vanilla sauce (recipe below) on the warm pineapples. 
4. Garnish with some torn fresh mint leaves.

Vanilla sauce

1 frozen banana (peel it before freezing it)

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean

Measure all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

The Best Ever Fish Sticks (Grain Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Corn Free, Nut Free)

We made the best fish sticks tonight. They were beautiful and so delicious. I wasn't thinking about blogging about them as I just tried to make quickly something yummy for sick children (I designed the recipe in my head holding a napping feverish two year old) so I didn't measure of course so these amounts are very approximate but I'll give you good instructions! And I snapped a photo when I realized that these were going to turn out really good:

Our Favorite Paleo Fish Sticks

1 lb or so white fish filets like cod, frozen is fine (you can also use large uncooked peeled shrimp)
1/2 cup homemade coconut kefir 
1/2 cup arrowroot starch
3/4-1 cup shredded coconut
salt
dried powdered ginger
garlic powder
1 tsp of maple sugar (optional)
1/4 cup coconut oil

1. Thaw the fish. Cut it in pieces.

2. Take two bowls. Put in one bowl the coconut kefir and about 1/2 tsp salt, a pinch of garlic powder and a pinch of ginger. Put some of the fish to soak in the bowl.

3. Take the other bowl and mix in it the starch, the coconut and again about 1/2 tsp salt, a pinch of garlic powder and ginger and maple sugar.

4. Heat a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil on medium heat in a skillet.

5. Toss fish pieces (and we did shrimp too!) first in coconut kefir, then lightly in the flour mixture and fry on both sides until flaky (only a few minutes). You might have to add more coconut oil in between and even clean the pan.

6. Serve immediately with salad or sauteed greens (we sauteed chard and kale in coconut oil and home made chicken broth) or steamed vegetables.

I use this coconut oil. I order it often in gallon buckets like this because it lasts for a long time (a couple of years I believe, except not for that long in my household as some of us eat it with a spoon...) and it is cheaper that way. If you order by clicking on my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you. Thanks for your support!

Ready Steady Eat: Fast Wraps for Any Meal or To Go (AIP, paleo, grain free, dairy free)

Some days when I have to whip up a meal from the random ingredients at hand it feels like I am on the British Ready Steady Cook show (to be honest I sometimes in my mind pretend I am on it!). They had a similar show in Finland and I used to love to watch it. In the show two chefs competing with each other create delicious and inventive meals from a bagful of random ingredients. They don't know before hand what ingredients they get and they have a very limited time to complete the task. What fascinated me about the show was how these chefs were able to come up with delicious meals in such a short time without any recipes or previous planning from a bagful of random ingredients they had no say over. There was usually also a limit how much the ingredients could cost (not much at all). Those chefs are my heroes especially as I have never been a much of a recipe follower.
I felt like a chef from that show today as I had to prepare lunch quickly to starving family members from the ingredients I had at hand. This is what I had:

1 lb ground beef (organic from Rainbow Ranch Farms)
1 carrot
1 zucchini
a handful of crimini mushrooms
an avocado
coconut wraps (you could also use other tortillas you have, big lettuce leaves, collard leaves or for instance these plantain wraps)
fermented ginger carrots (you could replace this with sauerkraut or just leave out)
lettuce (I picked some from our container garden!)
cucumber (diced)

I also had spices, coconut oil etc. basic ingredients of course (I used garlic powder, oregano and salt).

I put the ground beef on a cast iron pan with some coconut oil on medium heat mixing and chopping it and turning it over every now and then. In the same time grated the carrot and zucchini and chopped mushrooms in small pieces. I tossed them in the frying pan as well. I added some salt, oregano and garlic powder.

The I ran out to get the lettuce and fresh oregano, chopped them and diced the cucumber and avocado.

When the meat and vegetables were cooked I piled all ingredients on coconut wraps and rolled them. Note: Don't cook the fermented carrots to preserve the probiotics.

Alternatively, if you don't have any wraps or leaves to use, you could just mix it all up to a salad and add homemade coconut kefir from your fridge (or olive oil and balsamic vinegar) for a dressing.

Ready, steady, eat!

PS. You could prepare all the ingredients and pack them in your backpack to go and roll the wraps while you are hiking, running errands, at the beach or park.

Have you already taken part in my giveaway that will end in a couple of days?

This recipe has been published on Autoimmune Paleo Recipe Roundtable in Phoenix Helix Blog.

Strawberry Milkshake (Vegan)

I read on Facebook that an industrial milkshake from a fast food place contains 59 different ingredients! Holy strawberry! (I hope at least one of the ingredients is actually strawberry.)

Reading something like that makes me want to start a food revolution! I made this two ingredient strawberry shake (two ingredients with optional add ons) last weekend as my answer to the 59 ingredient shake. Here you go!

Strawberry Shake

1 small bag of frozen strawberries (I buy organic as strawberries absorb pesticides like crazy), let them thaw slightly if you have time
1 can of coconut milk or coconut milk kefir (I used full fat and it was pretty creamy, I might recommend light coconut milk for the first time in my life, or replacing some of the full fat milk with water)

If it is too thick, add water.

Other optional additions to try:
a pinch of salt (somehow it seems like a pinch of salt balances the coconutty flavor)
vanilla
maple syrup or honey to taste (a couple of tablespoons should do)

Mix in a blender until smooth.

Do We Need Substitutions for Foods We Gave Up?

I have considered this question at two very different times of my life. First when I became vegetarian at the age of sixteen and now as an adult when I have been on a gluten free, dairy free, egg free, corn free and then grain free journey that some describe with the word "paleo".

Zucchini noodles taste good but they taste
 nothing like wheat pasta. They are probably better.
But do they have to be in the noodle shape?

When I became vegetarian I cooked vegetarian versions of common meat foods, came up with clever replacements for the meat in recipes and used soy based meat substitutions. I enjoyed tricking my dinner guests, especially the ones who were suspicious about vegetarian diet.

After a few years I realized that I can just come up with vegetarian foods that are delicious on their own and not because I have managed to mimic the meat with some vegetarian source. That was a great and relieving realization. It took away the great burden that the vegetarian diet would be just a shadow of the diet containing meat.

Then our family discovered food allergies and I have gone through a similar path. I gave up vegetarianism as meat became the only protein source we could tolerate. I have cooked gluten free and dairy free versions of common grain and dairy foods, I have come up with clever replacements for the grains and dairy in recipes and bought gluten free processed crackers and pastas. I have enjoyed tricking people to think the grain free and vegan cupcake is the "real thing".

I have tried to make gluten free breads, pizza crusts and cakes that would taste just like the ones made of wheat. Frostings, puddings and pancakes without eggs, dairy and wheat or corn. Sometimes they turn out good, sometimes they are disappointing because they are not like the favorite food from our past. Sometimes they turn better and still they taste different.

I see it everywhere - people post recipes of paleo muffins, paleo cupcakes, paleo pancakes, 100 ways to replace the junk food you miss with healthier foods replicating them, nomato sauce, the perfect grain free hamburger bun, pizza crusts made of cauliflower. 

We are obsessing over coming up with recipes to replicate the foods we miss. Do we really miss them so badly? Or do we just think we miss them? Are they just foods that represent the cultural norms of our days? There are probably some people on this planet who do not eat pizza, hamburgers or cupcakes and are perfectly happy. Do we just want to blend in even though we chose a path different from others by eating the same foods as they? Why do we miss food we call "junk food" so much we try to replicate it with other ingredients? Why do we put it on a pedestal above healthier real foods?

Why not glorify organic fresh vegetables instead of junk food?
This food is the food that really makes you feel good.

Doesn't the effort we use in trying to find and make the replicates for breads and cakes give those products we have chosen not to eat an unnecessary glorification? Why not just eat real food that makes us feel good? Why not come up with recipes that just taste good even though they don't remind us of our old comfort foods? They were comfort foods probably because they were feeding the bad bacteria and we were addicted to them. The grain free and sugar free version is not going to ever make us feel the same. In the long run it will make us feel better!

I think the pretty limited autoimmune paleo diet helped me debunk the glory of the junk food replacements. I felt so good on just real foods not trying to replicate anything. Like soup. I have come to a point on my path where I don't care about the substitution recipes so much anymore (they have even started to irritate me a little bit, I am in the black and white phase of this and will soon move to the grey area and become more accepting ;)). I mean ok, I admit that the plantain pancakes are good (I had two this morning with maple syrup) and the raw chocolate pudding made with avocado. And I put coconut milk in my tea because it reminds me of the cow milk I used to put in my tea. But those foods taste delicious just because of their own ingredients, not because of the nostalgic memory of the foods they replicate. They are special treats I don't eat every day.

I think making the nomato sauce was the turning point. It didn't even taste like tomato sauce and I went through so much trouble making it. I even realized that I didn't like even the real tomato sauce that much anyway. It gave me heart burn for heaven's sake. Why am I trying to imitate it with a sauce made of beets and carrots? Sure, if the sauce would taste delicious. But it was just ok. I am not going to make the beet and carrot sauce with meat balls again unless the kids request it. 

Finnish cabbage soup is comfort food for me.

I am ok eating foods that are good on their own like traditional Finnish cabbage soup made with homemade broth. THAT is a comfort food for me. I will still probably make plantain pancakes and dairy free ice cream because they taste good. I might even make the 3 ingredient strawberry shake I have threatened to make this weekend to show that I can make a just as good if not better strawberry milkshake without the 59 ingredients in the industrial one (is one of them at least strawberry?). But I am stopping my desperate search for the perfect grain free and sugar free junk food substitutions here and just enjoy food that tastes good and makes me feel good. I think it is a good message for our kids too. Glorifying the junk food is not. I feel like this is a

Dairy Free Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate
Dairy Free, Vegan option, Paleo, Additive-free, Refined Sugar Free

1 cup water
1 cup additive free full fat coconut milk (like Natural Value or Aroy D)
1 tbsp raw unsweetened cacao powder
2 tbsp raw honey or maple syrup if you want to make it vegan
tiny pinch of sea salt
vanilla, optional

Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat. I don't let it boil because the kids don't want it that hot and I am thinking that maybe some of the goodness of the raw honey still stays alive (I have no evidence that it will).

Home made marshmallows make a nice addition. My kids love this recipe (not vegan but it is egg free, dairy free, corn free, nut free, gluten free etc.).

Scrumptious Sides: Creamy Baked Yummy Yam

Creamy Baked Yam
Vegan, AIP, Paleo, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free

a few yams, preboiled in lightly salted water and then peeled and cut in cubes or slices
1 cup of full fat coconut milk (or 1/2 cup of coconut cream and 1/2 cup vegetable - or chicken stock if not making it vegan)
1/4-1/2 tsp freshly juiced ginger (or dried ginger to taste)
coconut oil
half a clove of garlic
salt to taste


1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Grease a 9 inch oven pan with coconut oil.

3. Rub the garlic clove half on the sides and bottom of the pan for a slight garlic flavor to the dish. Toss the clove.

4. Place the yam cubes in the pan, add ginger and salt to taste and pour coconut milk evenly on the yams.

5. Bake for about an hour. Mix the yams once so they stay coated with the coconut milk.

I shared this recipe on Phoenix Helix blog's AIP Recipe Round Table. Find more Autoimmune Paleo friendly recipes from there!

Banana Yoghurt (Vegan, AIP, Paleo, Sugar Free)

When I was a kid my favorite yoghurt was banana yoghurt. It was made of cow milk and it was probably full of sugar. I had a sudden urge the other morning to try to replicate it with allergen free and healthier ingredients. So I made some with homemade coconut milk kefir and bananas! It didn't taste exactly the same of course but it was very delicious. It would make a great dessert as well.

Banana Yoghurt
Vegan, Paleo, AIP, Sugar Free, Dairy Free (consumed in small amounts also low-FODMAP)

2 bananas
1 cup homemade coconut kefir
Optional: cinnamon, vanilla (from a bean, not the extract)

Add the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You can leave it out to ferment for a few hours more if you like or eat it straight away. If you leave it out to ferment, taste it after few hours to see if it is ready or do you want it to ferment more. I left it out for 7-8 hours and the flavor became very rich. I ate some and left it in the fridge overnight and it had turned into a fluffy, slightly tangy banana mousse! I added a pinch of cinnamon and and it was absolutely fabulous little treat.

By the way - if you want my posts directly to your email when I publish them, fill in your email to the field in the side panel on the right. The one under "Get New Posts to Your Email". I am not currently sending any other emails so you'll only get an email about the new posts, about one daily.

I shared this recipe on Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Round Table this week. There are some great recipes!

Caramelized Ginger Chicken and Sauteed Greens

Before going on autoimmune paleo we used to sometimes go to a Vietnamese restaurant called Blue Hen in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles to eat yummy gluten free foods like pho and caramelized ginger chicken with greens. I am not going to attempt making pho on AIP (or wait...) but I did make a version of the ginger chicken (without the sugar!). This might be our new favorite food.

Sugar Free Caramelized Ginger Chicken and Sauteed Greens
Paleo, AIP, low-FODMAP friendly

4 chicken thighs
an inch piece of fresh ginger (or more to taste)
garlic (leave out if FODMAP's bother you)
coconut oil
salt
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (or more to taste) maple syrup, grade B (optional)
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp sugar free fish sauce like Red Boat (optional)

1. Chop ginger in sticks and garlic in thick slices and sautee them lightly in coconut oil. Lift them out but leave the oil that now has the flavors of the ginger and garlic.

2. Salt the chicken thighs lightly and add them to the pan, the nicer side down first. Cook on medium until the chicken has gotten some brown color and turn. Continue cooking until chicken is almost done.

3. Add ginger and garlic back to the pan on the chickens and drizzle the balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos on top as well. Cover and simmer on low until chicken is cooked. If needed, add a little bit of water to avoid them from drying.

4. Just before removing from the stove, drizzle the maple syrup (optional) and toss the chickens in it to caramelize them. The balsamic vinegar has caramelized the chickens slightly too so this is an optional step you can leave out if you want to avoid maple syrup.

5. Sautee bok choy (low-FODMAP!) in coconut oil or home made broth (or little bit of both) and add salt and fish sauce to taste.


This recipe has been published in Phoenix Helix AIP recipe Roundtable

Make your own coconut milk

Yes, you can make it yourself! Never buy the canned (possibly with BPA in the lining) coconut milk with icky additives again. And save money. All you need is some shredded coconut, water, blender, a strainer and cheese cloth (or a kitchen towel or an old cloth diaper or a nut milk bag).

Home made coconut milk

1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups water
(amounts are not so crucial)

Follow these steps to make your own creamy and additive free coconut milk:

1. Boil some water. Turn it off just when it is about to boil.

2. Put the coconut in a blender and add the water. Let sit for a few minutes.

3. Put the lid on and - carefully, it is hot! - blend for a few minutes or as long as needed so it seems like there are no more solid parts and it looks creamy.

4. Strain it through a cheese cloth in a strainer. Squeeze the last part to get all the liquid through the cloth. That's it! Store in the fridge. It will separate so shake before using. Use for homemade icecreams or make your own coconut milk kefir. If you make kefir, make sure to blend and strain well, otherwise the solid parts sometimes become a mass of coconut on the top of the kefir and the kefir grains get stuck in there and you'll loose it while trying to dig them out (speaking from experience as you can tell).

Tangerine Frozen Yoghurt (Vegan and AIP)

I love experimenting with coconut milk based ice creams with my ice cream maker. Making them with homemade coconut milk kefir gives the ice cream a slight pleasant tanginess and a nice dose of probiotics too. The coconut milk kefir based ice creams seem to turn out best if there is some fruit or fruit juice in the mix. Plain vanilla kefir ice cream I tried once wasn't as good.

Probiotic Tangerine Frozen Yoghurt

2 organic tangerines (organic as you'll use the peel too)
Juice of half an orange (for instance the one you have left over from your orange ginger salmon)
3/4 cup coconut milk kefir
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
An inch or two of vanilla bean
Just a small slice of fresh ginger

Grate the peel of the tangerines and squeeze the juice of them. Scrape the vanilla from the vanilla bean. Add all ingredients except the grated peel to a blender. Blend and last add the peel. Put in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Enjoy!

PS. IF I ate chocolate, I bet this would be delicious with some home made chocolate syrup...

Baked Orange Ginger Salmon with Roasted Root Vegetables and Bok Choy

Our dinner tonight became quite festive as you can see! It amazes me how with so few basic ingredients make so wonderful dinners. I am pretty sure our dinners are more imaginative and delicious than they were in our pre-paleo and pre-allergy life. Then it was easy to resort to pasta and tomato sauce type of dinners too often.

People sometimes say they feel bad for us that we can't eat certain foods. I wish people didn't feel bad for me because I don't feel bad. I feel great! I really don't miss any food that makes my body feel weird. I have discovered so many new foods on this journey that I bet I am actually eating more different kinds of foods now than when the main part of my diet consisted of grains and cheese, pizza and such things.

Just today I ate a salad with arugula, water cress, shrimp, lettuce, avocado, cilantro, lemon and olive oil for lunch. Yesterday I ate kaboucha squash and chicken and fermented beets and daikons. For breakfast I had tea and berries with coconut milk kefir. And sugar free bacon made of beef. (Did you know that you can make bacon at home? We did it once but that is another story).

Oven Baked Orange Ginger Salmon
Paleo, AIP

Serves 4

4 salmon fillets
2 oranges, sliced
Juice of half an orange
2 tbsp honey (leave out for a low-FODMAP/sugar free version)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Place orange slices on the bottom of a small oven pan. Lay the salmon fillets skin down on the oranges.

2. Mix orange juice, honey, cilantro, salt, ginger and olive oil together in a small bowl and pour on the fillets.

3. Bake in 350F until fish flakes, about 15 minutes. I baked them in the toaster oven as my root veggies were in the other oven in a higher temperature.

TIP: If your kids find ginger too strong, mix it in last and use on the kids' fillets the mixture before adding the ginger.

Roasted root vegetables

Leftover or your choice root vegetables: rutabaga, turnip, beet, daikon, yams, sweet potato, radish, carrots etc.
Coconut oil
Salt

1. Cut root vegetables in one inch pieces.

2. Put them on a oiled baking sheet.

3. Melt coconut oil if solid and toss the vegetables in oil and salt.

4. Spread them in one layer (use two pans if needed) and bake in 425F for 45 minutes or until done. Serve on bed of arugula.

Steamed Bok Choy

Steam bok choy with grated ginger and toss in some coconut oil and salt when they are done. Don't overcook them. 3-5 minutes is enough for me.

For more autoimmune paleo recipes check out Phoenix Helix weekly Roundtable!




I get my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions by the gallon because it lasts for a long time and buying in bulk is cheaper in the end. Click on the coconut oil bucket below for special sale prices (affiliate link, buying coconut oil through this link will support my blogging!) If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.

Paleo Fast Food on the Go (and Paleo Guacamole)

Due to a cancelled swim class we decided today to do an impromptu trip to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum with some friends (the Silk Road exhibit!). We planned to leave in 20 minutes. In that time we had to get the kids dressed and whip up a snack or lunch to take with us. We packed in a small cooler some coconut wraps (I had the Paleo Wraps), avocados, some left over chicken strips, baby carrots and a Swiss Army Knife (no time to cut anything ahead of time). Water and kombucha for drinks.

After an eventful but fun museum trip back in the car we filled the wraps with chicken and avocado cut with the pocket knife. If the kids hadn't been like little baby birds opening their mouths and demanding food (fast!), I might have cut small strips of carrot in the mix too but this mama bird didn't have time for that so the carrots were eaten separately. Believe me, it was fast food! And it was easy and mess free to eat in the car too when I folded the end of the wrap before rolling it.

This quick lunch was so easy and successful and it made me think that I should prepare some guacamole for trips like this. We could then have fajitas on the go! Some lettuce, pre-fried or steamed zucchinis and mushrooms would make a nice addition or could replace the chicken completely. Below is a recipe for paleo guacamole. 

Guacamole

Autoimmune paleo, paleo, gluten free, vegan, night shade free
Some don't include garlic or lemon on autoimmune paleo diet so leave them out if necessary.

One Avocado
A clove of garlic
Squeeze of lemon or lime
Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt to taste

Mash avocado with a fork, add chopped / squeezed garlic (I l
ike the Kuhn Rikon garlic press - not paid to say that), a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime and sea salt to taste. Easy peasy!

PS. This would also work as a great dip for the Friendly Crackers.