Birthday Cake from the book "Gather"

About a month ago, I met Bill Staley and Hayley Mason from Primal Palate during a book signing in Houston. They already have one great cookbook out called "Make it Paleo".  Bill and Hayley had a copy of their new book "gather; The Art of Paleo Entertaining" which is coming out April 30th. 
The book is set up by seasons, Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall.  Within each season are events like Easter lunch, Harvest dinner, and Birthday Celebration to name a few.  Each event has everything you need to host a great gathering.  Appetizers, side dishes, main course and dessert all for the theme of the event.

While looking through the book, I came across the Birthday Celebration that featured an amazing looking grain-free cake.  When I mentioned to Bill and Hayley that my birthday was in a month, they offered to send me an advanced copy of the book so I could make the cake for my birthday!  You can imagine how excited I was!

When I received the book in the mail, I couldn't wait to look through it again and get all the ingredients for my cake.  I did have to make a few adjustments though.  The recipe calls for a checkerboard cake pan.  I did not have time to order one and I looked at a few stores but was unable to find one.  So, I googled how to make a checkerboard cake without the pan and found tricks on how to make it.  I also double the cake recipe since I needed four layers in order to make the checkerboard pattern.  I also doubled the icing recipe since I did have 4 layers.
I was a little worried about how the checkerboard was going to look because some of the pieces broke and I had to glue them together with icing.  But, it turned out pretty good (not as pretty as the book!)   

The cake tasted amazing and it really did taste like a regular cake.  The whole family loved it too.   The only bad thing was I had just finished the 21 Day Sugar Detox two days before so the cake tasted super sweet to me.

I have really fallen in love with this book!  I love how everything is laid out for you including what to do a few days in advance to the the day of the party.  Everything you need to throw a party is in this book!

I am really looking forward to trying out more of the recipes from the book.  They all look amazing.  Plus, the pictures alone are worth buying the book!  If you like to entertain or are just looking for some great new recipes, check out this book "gather"!

The Diet for Human Beings DVD Giveaway!

While at PaleoFX, I was privileged to finally meet Beverly Myers.  I have been following Beverly for a while now on facebook and I also listen to her podcasts.  Beverly is a holistic and clinical nutritionist who has been in practice since 1985.  She has a website- www.ondietandhealth.com, a facebook page- Beverly Meyer on Diet and Health and a radio show called Primal Diet-Modern Health.  Beverly has recently produced a DVD called The Diet for Human Beings that I was able to watch, review and now I will be giving one away!

I myself love to read and have many Paleo books.  But, I think the market has been missing a more visual way of learning the lifestyle.


  Maybe you know someone who doesn't like to read (or maybe that someone is you!)  Beverly has put everything into one place about what to eat and the why's of a healthy diet in just a little over one hour.

This dvd is broken down into 11 chapters or Big Ideas.  In each chapter, Beverly goes into detail on the how's and why's.  Some of the topics are:  Why fat is good, the trouble with grains, how to reboot your system and more.  At the end, she helps you with what to eat and encourages you to give it a try for 30 days.

For someone who is struggling with their diet, this could be the answer.

I know I have given Paleo books to family that is just sitting somewhere waiting to be read.  This dvd can be finished in one hour or broken up into chapters.  It is a simple and easy way to learn.

 I highly recommend this dvd and will probably buy some for myself to giveaway to friends who may be struggling.

To enter the giveaway for this dvd, go to my facebook page Butterflies, Peace, Paleo and click on the Giveaway link next to the like button.

Kombucha Jello

Kombucha Jello with Whipped Coconut Milk

The bottom shelf of my pantry!

I love Kombucha and have been drinking it for a while now.  Kombucha is a fermented tea with many great properties including probiotics.  The cost for a kombucha tea at the store is not cheap, usually around $3-$4 a bottle.  So, I decided to try brewing my own.  Well, it has really taken off and now I have kombucha coming out of my ears.  I was trying to think of other things to do with kombucha and decided to try and make jello.   I have had a can of Great Lakes Gelatin (the orange can) in my pantry for a while now and I wanted to see if kombucha would work for jello.  It turned out great and now I make it on a regular basis.

Here is what I did:

2 cups kombucha

2-3 Tablespoons of Great Lakes Gelatin

1 can of coconut milk-place in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for a few hours

Put one cup of kombucha and the gelatin in a saucepan and stir over low heat.  

When it gets warm but not hot, remove from heat and add the other cup of kombucha.

Mix together and pour into a pie dish.  

Refrigerate until set.

I cut mine into squares using a knife and then scoop it out with a spoon.

I also wanted to make some whipped topping and decided to give coconut milk a try.  

I put the can in the freezer for a few hours (you can also put the can in the fridge overnight), scooped out the solid coconut on top and saved the liquid in the bottom for another day. 

 I used a very cold bowl and whipped it up with a hand mixer. 

This is also 21 Day Sugar Detox friendly!  Find me on facebook at Butterflies, Peace, Paleo